The Chicago Bears are banking on their pass rushers from last season to step it up after a disappointing 2025 campaign, where Chicago ranked 31st in pass-rush win rate (29%) and 26th in run-stop win rate (29%).
“We feel good about those guys,” general manager Ryan Poles said. “What that group is and what they’re becoming, and we feel like there is some developmental upside and, like I said, with Year 2 in the system, we should be able to take the next step.”
That next step will focus on two key pass rushers returning from injury, DE Dayo Odeyingbo and DE Shemar Turner, who both have a lot to prove.
Odeyingbo, who signed a massive three-year, $48 million contract last offseason, appeared in just eight games with only one sack and 21 total tackles before suffering a season-ending Achilles injury. Turner, a second-round pick in 2025, played just 70 snaps in five games before an unfortunate ACL tear.
With those two expected to be key pass rushers, along with Montez Sweat and Austin Booker, Bears analyst Clay Harbor doesn’t believe that’s a recipe for success.
Bears Receive A Brutal Reality Check on Dayo Odeyingbo
Harbor provided a detailed explanation on why it’s not in the Bears’ best interest to heavily rely on Odeyingbo to provide a huge impact on defense next season.
“The last 18 games he played, I went back to Indianapolis in his last 18 games, how many sacks did Dayo Odeyingbo have? One. The one with the Bears against the backup tackle of the Minnesota Vikings.”
But it’s more than just the lack of sack production for Odeyingbo that concerns Harbor.
“The Journal of Science and Medicine, and looking at the average time to return for an Achilles, best-case scenario, this guy is here for Game 1. He’s not even gonna be in training camp, and so now you’re expecting this guy that didn’t produce for his last 18 regular-season games to come in and be a pass rusher? To me, that doesn’t make sense.”
Shemar Turner Still Has Time, But Limited Snaps in Year 1 + A Bigger Role in Year 2 is A Cause for Concern
GettyShemar Turner #95 of the Chicago Bears speaks to the media after the Chicago Bears Rookie Minicamp at Halas Hall on May 09, 2025.
Harbor then went on to bring up Turner’s name as another pass rusher returning from injury with question marks floating around him.
“How many snaps did Shemar Turner play last year before he tore his ACL? 70. So, for you to say that a guy played 70 snaps, you saw him trending in the right direction, that’s a game for some guys! And most of those snaps were at defensive tackle, now you’re talking about playing this guy at EDGE. This wasn’t his first injury. He missed a lot of time in college…the guy hasn’t been in a lot of games. That’s one of the things coming out of the draft that they didn’t know he could stay healthy.”
To give some optimism around Turner, he’s still just 23 years old and heading into his sophomore season in the NFL. There’s time for him to develop. But the point with him is the Bears are not in a rebuild phase; they are trying to contend for a Super Bowl. So, having a weak pass rush isn’t going to suffice, and it’s hard to believe both Odeyingbo and Turner are going to have monster years after returning from serious injuries.
Bears Receive Brutal Reality Check on Dayo Odeyingbo, Shemar Turner