A top pass rusher in the 2024 NFL Draft explained what he liked about the Chicago Bears’ defense during his combine interview in Indianapolis Wednesday morning. The Bears are expected to add at defensive end in the draft or in free agency.
The Chicago Bears want another pass rusher
On Tuesday, head coach Matt Eberflus said he wanted to add another pass rusher on the opposite side of Montez Sweat. As new defensive coordinator Eric Washington said last week, the Bears intend to have the league’s best pass rush.
Dallas Turner talks about what he knows about the Bears
One player who could get the Bears closer to that goal would be Alabama OLB Dallas Turner. Turner finished the 2023 season with ten sacks and two forced fumbles. He was asked what he thought of the Bears’ defense. Turner said he liked how the defense is based around the pass rush.
“The defense is based around the pass rush,” Turner said. “Being a pass rusher on that team gives you a lot of freedom and opportunities.”
Turner talks about his weight and explosiveness
Turner, an outside linebacker at Alabama, said he wants to be versatile in the NFL to fit any scheme. Turner said he prefers his weight to be 255, where he can still be powerful while keeping his explosive burst off the edge.
“That’s probably the best weight I can move at. I feel kinda powerful compared to the 225 my freshman year by the end of the season,” Turner said. Coming into his freshman year, Turner said his weight ballooned during the Covid-19 pandemic to 260 pounds. He finished his freshman year at around 225 pounds before bulking back up to his ideal weight.
“Then the 255 in my junior season, I could tell the difference for sure in the strength, the power, the explosiveness,” Turner said. “It felt good playing at 255 my junior year, so I feel like that can open up a lot of versatility in whatever defense, whatever type of scheme I’m in.”
Turner needs to have a powerful frame if he wants to play in Eberflus’ opportunistic system. But he can’t gain too many pounds at the expense of what Turner thinks is one of his best traits.
“My explosiveness, my versatility, being able to play off the ball but being able to play on the ball as well, it’s just many things that made me into the player that I am today,” Turner said.
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