Dennis Allen’s first impression of newest Chicago Bears defensive draft pick

After going offense with their first three picks of the 2025 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears finally selected a defensive player with their No. 62 overall pick. Now, defensive coordinator Dennis Allen will be tasked with molding Shemar Turner into his new-look defense.

Rookie minicamp gave Allen an opportunity to evaluate all the rookie defenders on Chicago’s roster. While it was just the first step of the Bears offseason program, and the entire team wasn’t even there, Allen at least got his first taste of what his next generation of defenders has to offer.

The defensive coordinator came away impressed with what he saw from Turner. He plans to let him develop at defensive tackle first before trying him out as edge rusher. Overall, Allen is confident that as Turner continues to refine his technique and develop in an NFL program, the defensive tackle will become a crucial part of the Bears’ defense, via Kevin Fishbain and Adam Jahns of The Athletic.

“I think we’ll have to put the saddle on him and break him a little bit but we’d rather have to pull the reins back rather than have to whip him to get him to go,” Allen said. “We’re excited about working with him.”

“The first thing we got to do is we got to play him in at defensive tackle and let him learn there, let him develop there, both as a three-technique and a nose, and then we’ll worry about trying to see that flexibility,” Allen said. “From a skill set standpoint, yeah, he’s got some flexibility. We’ll just have to see what he can learn, how quickly he can learn and adapt to what we’re doing.”

Shemar Turner becomes X-factor on Chicago Bears defensive line

Allen and the Bears seem intent on keeping Turner at defensive tackle, at least to start his career. However, Turner offers plenty of versatility, playing all five defensive line positions at Texas A&M. As he continues to develop in Chicago, perhaps Turner can become a Swiss Army knife on the defensive line.

But in his immediate future, Turner seems likely to backup Grady Jarrett and Gervon Dexter at defensive tackle. Jarrett is under contract for three seasons with an out after two. Fellow veteran defensive tackle Andrew Billings, whose injury derailed Chicago’s run defense, is a free agent after the 2025 season. Simply put, it’s easy to see a path where Dexter and Turner are the Bears’ starting defensive tackles of the future.

During his four years at Texas A&M, Turner racked up 115 tackles, 24 for a loss and 10 sacks. He had a break out season as a junior, putting up career-highs in sacks (six) and TFLs (11). Turner was named Second-team All-SEC.

When Ben Johnson arrived to Chicago, the coaching staff has meticulously chosen each player added to the roster. Clearly both he and Allen see something in Turner. He will need to bulk up and continue tweaking his technique to succeed at the NFL level. But having the rookie focus on defensive tackles mean there isn’t too much on his plate. Turner’s goal is solely improving at DT, rather than having to learn numerous different positions.

Chicago finished the 2024 season ranked 27th in total defense, and Turner won’t singlehandedly fix their issues. But he has a strong player to build around as Allen figures out the Bears’ best defensive line rotation.