Commanders Cole Turner Looking to Bounce Back From Injury

Rookies coming into the NFL system ideally need everything to go their way, but for Washington Commanders tight end Cole Turner, it didn't. He had a nagging hamstring injury that hampered him throughout his rookie season.

He played 10 games and caught just two passes for 23 yards as his rookie campaign, after impressing during training camp, didn't pan out how he wanted.

But now, he looks to be fully over his hamstring injury, and Commanders head coach Ron Rivera has noticed.

"He's been here almost the entire offseason on a voluntary basis doing the things that he needs to do and develop," Rivera said. "He's got a really good grasp of the offense so far. He's still learning it, but he's learning it quickly and doing the things that we need to have him do to be able to help us go forward."

With veteran Logan Thomas and third-year tight end John Bates ahead of Turner in the depth chart at the time of writing, Cole has room to grow and potentially challenge both next season.

New Commanders offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy is known for getting his pass catchers into favorable positions on the field, particularly tight ends.

For Turner, if he can stay healthy and get through training camp while showing the same promise he did a year ago, he could become a viable weapon for Sam Howell.

Turner is learning on the go and is looking to put his injury troubles behind him, which could bode well for Washington moving forward.