Jeffery Simmons is in the building, and that alone changes the picture for the Bears’ defensive line in a hurry. Chicago is thrilled to have its star defensive tackle on board, lined up as the starter next to Grady Jarrett. But the more interesting ripple effect might be on Shemar Turner, whose spot in the rotation suddenly looks a whole lot shakier.
Turner was supposed to be part of the solution when the Bears took him in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft. The idea was simple: add a young pass rusher who could contribute right away. That hasn’t come close to happening.
His rookie year was derailed after just five games, when he tore his ACL against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 8. He finished with six tackles and two tackles for loss. There was hope he could reset in 2026, but he opened the season on the PUP list and has only recently gotten back into action, appearing in the last two games and posting two tackles.
The production hasn’t been there, either. Pro Football Focus has Turner at an overall grade of 57.4, with a pass-rush grade of 53.1 and a run-defense grade of 59.3.
Chicago has tried him in multiple spots, asking him to work both inside and on the edge. Even with that flexibility, the snaps have been scarce. Before Simmons arrived, Turner had played just 20 defensive snaps across two games, and that came in a stretch when the Bears were also missing Montez Sweat because of suspension and Dayo Odeyingbo, who was on IR.
The problem now is simple math. The Bears want Simmons on the field.
They want Sweat on the field. They want Austin Booker on the field.
Dennis Allen is going to have a tough time keeping all of those guys involved, and that makes Turner’s role murky heading into Monday night’s Week 8 game against the Seattle Seahawks.
This doesn’t point to an immediate release, this season or next. But it does put Chicago in a position where it has to figure out what Turner actually is to this defense. A second-round pick isn’t supposed to be living on 10 snaps a game.
That conversation may not happen right away, but it is coming. If Turner gets chances in the second half of the season, he has to make them count.
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