Bears Defensive Lineman Shemar Turner Takes Step Closer to Return from ACL injury

An injury update on Shemar Turner from Thursday shows the Chicago Bears defender is inching closer to his return.

Chicago Bears defensive tackle Shemar Turner. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Chicago Bears defensive lineman Shemar Turner appears to have taken a step closer to returning from his injury.

Turner suffered a torn ACL in Week 8 of last season and has been on the PUP list since the start of training camp. He was a bit of a mystery earlier in the offseason after head coach Ben Johnson provided a murky update on the second-year defender in minicamp.

“We'll see with Shemar. This summer's going to be a big part for him," Johnson said. "We'll have a good six weeks off of see where he's at when we come back to camp."

That wasn't exactly the update we wanted to hear, but Turner's status received a bit more clarity on Thursday.

Shemar Turner injury update

Chicago Bears defensive line Shemar Turner. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As the Bears took part in their eighth practice of training camp on Thursday, Turner emerged from the building and did some strength and conditioning work on a side field.

"Defensive lineman Shemar Turner, who is on PUP (list) while recovering from ACL surgery, appeared at practice for the first time in training camp and worked with a strength and conditioning staffer off to the side," ESPN's Courtney Cronin reported.

As far as we know this is the first time Turner has been spotted outside at any practice this offseason, so this amounts to progress for the second-year defender.

It may not be long before we see Turner back on the practice field with the rest of the team, although we still don't have a clear timeline for that.

Shemar Turner's 2026 outlook

Chicago Bears defensive line Shemar Turner. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Before tearing his ACL last season, Turner failed to tally a sack or a pressure in 74 snaps over five contests and posted lackluster Pro Football Focus grades of 34.4 overall, 51.4 in the pass-rush and 30.9 in run defense.

Despite their question marks upfront, one of which is Turner, the Bears did not invest much into the defensive line and instead are counting on guys like Turner, Dayo Odeyingbo and Austin Booker to step up and provide the boost Chicago needs.

Head coach Ben Johnson noted how he saw growth with Turner before his injury.

"We are excited about the guys that ended up finishing the season on IR, the trajectory that they were on, both Dayo and Shemar," Johnson said. "When you look at it from the start of the season to the point where they both got injured, we saw growth and we saw them trending in the right direction, in terms of what we want to see on game day."

Turner's development in 2026 will be crucial, not just because the Bears need more help upfront, but also because Gervon Dexter is slated to be a free agent in 2027 and Grady Jarrett is a potential cut candidate next offseason.

When he does get back to 100%, Turner will be vying for a role in the rotation upfront behind Chicago's starters and the Bears are hoping Turner shows he's capable of taking on a starting role at some point down the road.