Bears’ defensive coordinator Dennis Allen finally shares what the hold up is with a second-round pick who was inactive the last two weeks
By A to Z Sports,Kole Noble
Copyright yardbarker
Bears could certainly use a player like Shemar Turner moving forward
When the Bears drafted Turner in the second-round, it was clear the team was targeting an aggressive playmaker who’s energy and mentality could rub off on the other players.He’s similar in style to Grady Jarrett, the veteran free agent signing the team made for having pretty much the exact same traits. By having Jarrett as a starter, plus the missed time Turner had during camp when the defensive scheme was being installed, it’s clear why Turner hasn’t been used. It’s worth noting Jarrett didn’t practice on Wednesday due to a knee injury he played through in Week 2.
Whether or not Jarrett plays on Sunday, based on how the last five quarters have gone defensively, Turner is a player the unit could certainly use to play with a little more fire up-front and help bring more pressure to the quarterback.
“We haven’t affected the quarterback on a consistent level yet in these first two games,” head coach Ben Johnson explained on Wednesday. “That’s something that we’re focused on and how do we get that done. We have a number of guys that have the ability to win one-on-ones and we just need them to do that more consistently. And there’ll be times, maybe we pressure a little bit more too.”
Creating pressure inside has been an issue as well, beyond the issues with winning off the edge. On the interior, Jarrett and Gervon Dexter Sr. have combined for five total pressures in two weeks. Backup defensive tackles Andrew Billings and Chris Williams have yet to record a single pressure despite playing a combined 29 pass rushing snaps.This week especially, the Bears will need to get after quarterback Dak Prescott to avoid being torched defensively for the third week in a row.
“I think [Prescott’s] an outstanding player. I think he’s playing at a really high level,” Allen added. “Certainly got total command of their offense. We’re going to have to try to do some things to get him uncomfortable in the pocket.”
Could Turner be the answer? Maybe? But the team won’t know until they can trust him enough to put him on the field. That’s something he needs to earn in practice and we’ll see if Week 3 is the finally the chance for him to make his debut.
