Two weeks into the season, and the Chicago Bears are already raising some eyebrows with the usage — or to the point, nonusage — of their 2025 rookie class.
In the team’s Week 2 matchup against the Detroit Lions, both offensive lineman Ozzy Trapilo and defensive tackle Shemar Turner — second-round picks meant to help Chicago’s issues in the trenches — spent the afternoon in street clothes. Kiran Amegadjie, a 2024 third-rounder, joined them.
While it’s early in the season, rolling into a pretty huge divisional matchup with three high draft picks as healthy scratches feels like a troubling statement about general manager Ryan Poles’ recent draft decisions.
Naturally, fans and analysts alike had loads to say about Chicago choosing to sit several young linemen who were drafted to reshape this roster.
Bears Fans, Analysts React to Ozzy Trapilo & Shemar Turner Being Healthy Scratches
You might be able to chalk Turner’s status up to a summer ankle issue, but he was healthy enough to practice all week leading up to the game.
Trapilo, meanwhile, was ideally supposed to compete for a starting role, or, maybe even be the swing tackle as a rookie. The fact that he didn’t dress is deeply concerning.
Arguably, Trapilo’s absence raises the most red flags. The Bears spent much of the offseason touting their offensive line improvements to protect Caleb Williams, drafting Trapilo at No. 56 overall with the idea he’d be at least a ready swing option.
“Not great for the #Bears to have two second-round rookies be healthy scratches today,” Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote on X.
“Love it. Way to go Ryan Poles! Keep cooking!” one very sarcastic fan wrote.
“Two of Ryan Poles three second round draft picks inactive today. Awful,” another fan added.
Defensively, Turner’s scratch is just as frustrating. Drafted to add juice inside and push the pocket, he was expected to play behind veterans Grady Jarrett and Gervon Dexter. Instead, the Bears leaned on established names while Turner watched.
Can someone explain why Shemar Turner is a healthy scratch today,” one fan wondered on X.
The ankle that slowed him in camp may be a factor, but if he’s healthy enough to go through full practices, sitting on game day could be perceived as a development delay, couldn’t it? Defensive linemen often take time to adjust, but keeping a second-rounder inactive isn’t going to help accelerate that curve.
What About Kiran Amegadjie?
GettyWhy are rookies Ozzy Trapilo and Shemar Turner not playing at all on game days? And what about Kiran Amegadjie?
Then there’s Amegadjie. The Yale product entered the league as a developmental prospect last year and has already battled through multiple injuries. He made the 53-man roster but hasn’t been able to carve out a spot on game day.
For a third-rounder now in Year 2, staying inactive doesn’t doom him, but like Turner, it shrinks his margin for growth. If he wants to stick around, he has to prove soon that he can be trusted as a versatile backup, because Chicago can’t afford to keep carrying linemen on the roster who can’t contribute in real time.
Early scratches don’t automatically mean a player is doomed to be a bust. Development arcs differ, and coaches sometimes prefer veterans while rookies adjust.
But when you spend three premium draft picks on linemen and then don’t even dress them, the optics are hard to ignore. If Trapilo, Turner and Amegadjie are truly healthy, the Bears need them to force their way into the active roster — the sooner, the better.
Bears Face Growing Concerns Over Multiple High Draft Picks