One thing several beat reporters noted on Friday was that the first day of Chicago Bears rookie minicamp was slower than they typically have been under previous regimes. New head coach Ben Johnson suggested after the first practice that some rookies at camp were not “in shape” yet, and he wanted to slowly ramp up activities to avoid soft tissue injuries.
The Bears have two draft picks recovering from injuries from the 2024 season. Chicago’s No. 10 pick and tight end Colston Loveland will not return to full contact drills until training camp as he rehabs from the shoulder surgery he had on Jan. 29.
A Chicago Bears rookie was “out of breath” during practice
Defensive tackle and second-round pick Shemar Turner played through a shin issue at Texas A&M in 2024. He had to pull out of the Senior Bowl in January because the stress fracture never fully healed after he had a rod inserted into his leg.
Per Clay Harbor of CHSN, Turner appeared out of shape during rookie minicamp this past weekend.
“The first thing I noticed, I’ll be honest, not to throw shade here, but he was pretty out of breath during the rookie minicamp,” Harbor said on 670 The Score’s “Mully & Hugh Show” on Tuesday. “I think it was Adam Hoge (of CHGO) who asked him a question. He’s like, ‘Hey, how do you feel about your conditioning?’
“That was something we noticed, but he’ll be okay there. He’s got the ankle thing.”
Shemar Turner will likely remain at DT
Harbor thinks Turner will eventually get back into shape as he recovers from the injury. He believes the Bears will keep Turner on the interior part of the defensive line based on the weight the coaching staff wants him to play at. There had been talk that Chicago could try him some at defensive end in some packages.
“I think the decision to move him inside is a good one, and obviously when he’s talking about his weight, he wants to stay about 300 pounds, maybe a little bit under,” Harbor said of Turner. “That’s a telltale sign. You’re not moving him out to edge.
“If you’re moving out to edge, you’re gonna tell him you’re 270, 280, so you can move a little bit better, set the edge, not get outflanked, all that good stuff.”
Turner has a week to get into shape before he goes against veterans in the league, a much different sort of competition than what he faced at Texas A&M and at rookie minicamp.
For More Chicago Sports:
Follow me on Twitter at @JordanSig, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Jordan Sigler via email at jordanmsigler@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks.
Chicago Bears could find pass rush help with undrafted free agent standout
Read MoreFor More Great Chicago Sports Content
Get the latest Chicago sports news, analysis, and breaking stories on the Bears, Bulls, Blackhawks, Cubs, White Sox, Sky, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News, so you never miss a story on your favorite Chicago teams.
Follow us on Twitter at @chicitysports23 for more great content. We appreciate you taking time to read our articles. To interact more with our community and keep up to date on the latest in Chicago sports news, JOIN OUR FREE FACEBOOK GROUP by CLICKING HERE
6 Comments
Man yall are reaching. He’s been sidelined since last fall… how much “football shape” did you think he’d be in?
How about a Tyson Bagent for Alvin Komara trade….. ??
Players should always be in “football shape”. If you are not running cone drills in your backyard at least twice a day, you have no business being in this league
You were up to be drafted. You NEED to be in shape. PERIOD!!
Dude has been recovering from a stress fracture. Of course he is a few steps behind right now. He is being paid to be healthy first, then in-shape.
Having said all that – I don’t know why the Bears drafted so many injured players.
I could never understand why a team would draft or trade for a player that has suffered an iffy or serious injury. More often than not those players ceiling is never met or they become mediocre at best. Hope these guys turn out to be great ballers.