Taking Shemar Turner late in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft was a somewhat polarizing move by the Chicago Bears. The upside and positional versatility were there, but there were concerns about his health, temper, and technique.
Turner barely played in five games as a rookie before a torn ACL ended his season. He barely showed some flashes, and clearly didn't get the amount of developmental reps he needed to fix the holes in his game.
Now, things may have only gotten worse for the Texas A&M product. Despite suffering his season-ending injury in Week 8, it doesn't sound like he's progressing in the way the team would hope for, and Ben Johnson's comments didn't do much to ease concerns:
"We will see with Shemar. This Summer will be a big part for him," Johnson said, per Bears reporter Zack Pearson.
The Bears may have dropped the ball with Shemar Turner
As unfortunate as this might be, it's far from surprising. Turner played his final season in college with a stress fracture, and he also had to undergo injuries for a torn labrum in his shoulder and his shin while he was in college.
Despite missing time, he still posted 115 tackles, 24 tackles for loss, and 10 sacks in four years with the Aggies, and the fact that he had experience playing all over the defensive line made him an enticing prospect. Perhaps not enticing enough to get him in the second round, though.
The Bears entered the offseason with major concerns in the defensive line. They ranked 31st in ESPN's pass-rush win rate (29 percent) and failed to put any pressure on the quarterback. Given Turner's history of injuries and lack of development, not addressing that position in the NFL Draft or with a big signing may come back to haunt this team.
This team also has injury concerns with Dayo Odeyingbo, who's nursing a season-ending injury of his own. He at least returned to practice and should be on track to get on the field for the season opener, but it still might not be enough.
Turner is an impressive athlete with the physical tools to be an absolute bully in the interior or the edge, and the Bears can exploit his versatility in different matchups. Still, he has plenty of catching up to do to play meaningful snaps in Dennis Allen's defense, and with no clear timetable for his return, he might be looking at another disappointing season in year two.
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