blackhawk
06-24-2007, 05:26 PM
Despite rumors that he might retire for good following his unceremonious release by the Kansas City Chiefs earlier this spring, veteran offensive tackle Kyle Turley is ready to give football another try.
Turley, who missed the entire 2004 and 2005 seasons because of a herniated disc and related back woes, but then signed with Kansas City and actually opened the 2006 campaign as the starting left tackle, quietly worked out for Chiefs officials this week, ESPN.com has learned.
And he is ready to audition for other teams, too, if they are interested.
A onetime iron man, Turley appeared in seven games for the Chiefs in 2006 after signing a two-year contract with Kansas City. He was the No. 1 left tackle for the first two games last season, then lost the starting job and suffered through a stretch of injuries, but had a five-game stretch beginning in early November in which he started at right tackle.
Clearly, the eight-year veteran had plenty of rust in 2006 and it didn't help that he attempted to play with his weight in the 280s. There are tight ends in the NFL bigger than that and the tough-guy Turley was tossed around at times by defensive linemen he would have handled easily in the prime of his career. But Turley, who will turn 32 in September, has built his weight back up and was 302 pounds at his workout in Kansas City this week. And he is said to be motivated to make up for lost time.
People close to Turley, who originally wanted to make his return to the NFL as a tight end, say that he prefers now to sign with a team that will provide him an opportunity to play right tackle, the spot at which he starred for New Orleans (1998-2002) and St. Louis (2003-2004). The former San Diego State star, a first-round pick of the Saints and the seventh overall player selected in the '98 draft, was always a natural right tackle because of his blend of power, nastiness and drive-blocking skills.
No word yet as to whether the Chiefs, whose once stable offensive line is suddenly in a state of flux with the retirements of tackle Willie Roaf and guard Will Shields over the past two offseasons, are going to give Turley another shot. The current projected starter at right tackle is veteran Chris Terry, who played well after assuming the starting job last season, but has suffered some off-field problems in the past.
Whether Turley can return to the former of his early career, when he was among the NFL's most feared and notorious blockers, remains to be seen. But the fact his weight has returned nearly to previous levels, when he typically played at 309 pounds and was able to maul defensive linemen, certainly is a plus.
Having been released by two franchises in two years -- the Rams jettisoned him in June 2005 after two years of inactivity and then the Chiefs dispatched him this March -- has provided Turley a source for rededicating himself and wanting to prove the skeptics wrong. What he needs now is a team willing to take another chance on him.
Turley, who missed the entire 2004 and 2005 seasons because of a herniated disc and related back woes, but then signed with Kansas City and actually opened the 2006 campaign as the starting left tackle, quietly worked out for Chiefs officials this week, ESPN.com has learned.
And he is ready to audition for other teams, too, if they are interested.
A onetime iron man, Turley appeared in seven games for the Chiefs in 2006 after signing a two-year contract with Kansas City. He was the No. 1 left tackle for the first two games last season, then lost the starting job and suffered through a stretch of injuries, but had a five-game stretch beginning in early November in which he started at right tackle.
Clearly, the eight-year veteran had plenty of rust in 2006 and it didn't help that he attempted to play with his weight in the 280s. There are tight ends in the NFL bigger than that and the tough-guy Turley was tossed around at times by defensive linemen he would have handled easily in the prime of his career. But Turley, who will turn 32 in September, has built his weight back up and was 302 pounds at his workout in Kansas City this week. And he is said to be motivated to make up for lost time.
People close to Turley, who originally wanted to make his return to the NFL as a tight end, say that he prefers now to sign with a team that will provide him an opportunity to play right tackle, the spot at which he starred for New Orleans (1998-2002) and St. Louis (2003-2004). The former San Diego State star, a first-round pick of the Saints and the seventh overall player selected in the '98 draft, was always a natural right tackle because of his blend of power, nastiness and drive-blocking skills.
No word yet as to whether the Chiefs, whose once stable offensive line is suddenly in a state of flux with the retirements of tackle Willie Roaf and guard Will Shields over the past two offseasons, are going to give Turley another shot. The current projected starter at right tackle is veteran Chris Terry, who played well after assuming the starting job last season, but has suffered some off-field problems in the past.
Whether Turley can return to the former of his early career, when he was among the NFL's most feared and notorious blockers, remains to be seen. But the fact his weight has returned nearly to previous levels, when he typically played at 309 pounds and was able to maul defensive linemen, certainly is a plus.
Having been released by two franchises in two years -- the Rams jettisoned him in June 2005 after two years of inactivity and then the Chiefs dispatched him this March -- has provided Turley a source for rededicating himself and wanting to prove the skeptics wrong. What he needs now is a team willing to take another chance on him.