Among all the questions about the Chicago Bears' defensive line and the lack of focus on it from general manager Ryan Poles, there is one player the team is still trying to figure out what's going to happen.
Bears 2025 second-round pick Shemar Turner is currently recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in Week 8 against the Baltimore Ravens. Head coach Ben Johnson gave the media an update on Turner and when the team expects him to be back, but it was not a good one.
"We will see with Shemar," Johnson said via BearReport's Zack Pearson. "This Summer will be a big part for him."
Ben Johnson doesn't know when Shemar Turner will be back in 2026
Turner only played in five games in his rookie season, and it was as lackluster as the Bears fan base could have expected from a guy who was a high draft pick. He finished with six tackles and two tackles for loss. That's it.
Well, the Bears' defensive line already has enough issues to deal with as Dayo Odeyingbo is also recovering from a season-ending injury, but has at least returned to the practice field for OTAs. Montez Sweat and Austin Booker are seen as the top guys who will need to step up and play well.
There's no telling what kind of player Turner is going to end up being because the man played a whopping 75 total snaps last year. The hope was that the defensive line would get a boost with the pass rush, but that continues to be the team's Achilles' heel, as they only got 33 sacks in 17 regular season games in 2025.
Read more: Montez Sweat didn't beat around the bush on what his 2026 goal is with Bears
Chicago is only three months away from Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season kicking off, and no one has a clue when Turner will be back. The Bears already dealt with cutting one 2025 pick, cornerback Zah Frazier, for not being available, and their other second-round pick from last year, Ozzy Trapilo, also has no timeline for a return, so despite the talent that came out of the draft class in 2025, there are also a fair share of headaches they are dealing with.
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