GM Ryan Poles hints at a forgotten rookie's emergence, predicting a significant impact from an overlooked defensive talent ready to surprise.
The Chicago Bears had a pretty good hit rate on their 2025 draft class.
Of the eight players the team drafted, half either started at the beginning of the year or started later in the season.
Colston Loveland, Kyle Monangai, Luther Burden and Ozzy Trapilo carved out starting roles for themselves.
Unfortunately for the Bears, they still couldn't fix their pass rush issues.
Montez Sweat had the best season of his Bears career, finishing with 10 sacks, 53 total tackles and 13 TFLs.
However, if you look at the other Bears pass rushers? Not very promising.
Dayo Odeyingbo was supposed to be a complementary piece to Sweat, lining up on the opposite side of the defensive line from him. Odeyingbo only played in eight games before a season-ending Achilles injury. Even before then, he wasn't what the team had hoped, recording one sack, 21 total tackles, and two TFLs.
When Odeyingbo went down, it revealed a weakness in the Bears' pass rush. The depth just wasn't there. Gervin Dexter (5) and Austin Booker (4.5) were the only promising ones, but the team still ranked 22nd in the NFL with 35 sacks.
The Chicago Tribune's Brad Biggs considered Booker as a viable pass-rushing option for the Bears in the near future.
However, there is one player that fans are forgetting. Plus, he was only a rookie last season.
General Manager Ryan Poles reminded fans that the team still has Shemar Turner on the roster at the NFL Owners Meetings. Turner missed the majority of last season after tearing his ACL, recording six total tackles and two TFLs.
Poles believed that Turner would be on the same path as other 2025 rookies like Ozzy Trapilo, Luther Burden and Colston Loveland.
"I think Shemar is going to be on the same track as Ozzy, Luther, and Colston." Poles said.
Turner was selected in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft out of Texas A&M. Turner was used as a rotational piece along the interior of the defensive line, backing up Chris Williams and Grady Jarrett.
The young defensive lineman showed promise in college as a player who can also get after opposing quarterbacks if needed. He had a career-high six sacks at Texas A&M in 2023.
Chicago hit on a lot of its draft picks last year, with Kyle Monangai becoming a hidden gem for the team. He helped transform the Bears' backfield, pairing well with fellow running back D'Andre Swift.
Half of Poles' picks were able to carve out a starting role at their positions as rookies. Imagine if Turner were able to do the same last season.
Turner will be looking to put his injury in the past in 2026, and he'll get another chance to show that he belongs on this Bears' team once healthy. With how good Poles has been at scouting talent, Turner could very well follow in the footsteps of Burden, Loveland, Trapilo and Monangai.