The Chicago Bears may have more moves in store following the NFL’s unexpected suspension of defensive end Montez Sweat this week, but the team is likely to respond almost immediately to that development with a meaningful roster move.
Chicago will probably activate defensive lineman Shemar Turner, adding him to the active 53-man group to fill that hole left by Sweat — both a starter and team’s best pass-rusher over the last several years.
“#Bears are expected to restore DE Shemar Turner to the 53-man roster from the physically unable to perform list, a move that was likely to happen even without the Montez Sweat development,” Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reported via X on Tuesday, October 13.
Shemar Turner Barely Played During Rookie Campaign Before Going Down With ACL Injury
Turner suffered a torn ACL in late October of 2025 and has been working his way back ever since.
Chicago selected the defensive tackle/defensive end hybrid out of Texas A&M with the No. 62 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft. However, he was only able to play 74 defensive snaps (and one snap on special teams) across five games during his rookie campaign before the knee injury derailed it.
Turner has not played a snap for the franchise yet this season. However, he is just 23 years old and has had nearly a full calendar year to recover, so Chicago has viable reason to hope that Turner will return entirely to his pre-injury form.
Bears Can Combine Austin Booker, Shemar Turner to Help Fill Void Left by Montez Sweat Following Suspension
Meanwhile, in Sweat the Bears lose a stalwart starter along the defensive line for two games, one against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 6 and another against the surging New England Patriots on a short week the following Thursday as part of a Thursday Night Football showcase.
Sweat has produced four QB hits, two sacks and two tackles for loss in five games this season, while also accounting for 13 QB pressures and nine hurries.
And while those are not stellar numbers, they represent a meaningful contribution to the team’s pass rush, which was a question coming into the season and reappeared as a legitimate concern in a blowout loss to the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field last weekend.
Rotational defensive end and pass-rush specialist Austin Booker clamored for more playing time earlier in the season and has produced since.
“Two days before the #Jets game, #Bears DE Austin Booker expressed to me that he wasn’t happy with his role on the team,” Herb Howard of The Score reported via social media. “He wanted more playing time. In the two games since then, Booker has 3 sacks and 4 TFLs.”
For the season, Booker has amassed a total of five tackles for loss and four sacks on just 153 snaps.
Bears to Add 2nd-Round DE to Roster Amid Montez Sweat Suspension