The Pittsburgh Steelers, who released guard David DeCastro earlier on Thursday, moved quickly to find his replacement. They signed former Los Angeles Chargers guard Trai Turner to a one-year deal.

This is a fascinating turn of events for the Steelers, since the player they released and the player they are gaining both made the Pro Bowl from 2015 through 2019. DeCastro also made the Pro Bowl roster in 2020, while Turner did not.

The Steelers clearly think that DeCastro, who will turn 32 years old just after the coming regular season ends in early January, has less left in the tank than Turner, who just turned 28 and — due to playing only 20 games in college — has a lot more NFL snaps left in his body.

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DeCastro has given the Steelers the best years of his football career. A six-time Pro Bowler and two-time First Team All-Pro, DeCastro has been a rock for Ben Roethlisberger on Pittsburgh's offensive line for the past nine seasons. He was a top-25 draft pick and has exceeded every hope the franchise could have realistically imagined. This is a tough move in a tough business. Obviously, the organization sees more upside in the future with Turner.

Taken as the 92nd pick in the 2014 NFL draft, Turner greatly exceeded his draft standing with the Carolina Panthers. He played six seasons for the team and made five straight Pro Bowls from 2015-2019. Turner powered the Panthers to Super Bowl 50 in the 2015 season, when Carolina went 15-1. Turner allowed just one sack in that season, and he remained an elite force in Charlotte for the next several years.

In March of last year, Turner was traded to the Chargers in exchange for Russell Okung, who went to the Panthers. Turner did not perform well with the Bolts in 2020, but his season was derailed by a groin injury. He started only nine games, barely more than half the season. The Steelers are clearly banking on a bounce-back year for a proud professional who surely thinks he has something to prove.