The Chicago Bears are sniffing around a big swing to fill their pass-rushing needs opposite Montez Sweat, but a less expensive and lower-risk opportunity could be on the horizon.
Ian Valentino of 33rd Team released a list of six “surprise cuts” around the league who might find themselves unemployed ahead of the start of the regular season. Among them is edge rusher Payton Turner of the New Orleans Saints, a former first-round pick out of Houston in the 2021 NFL draft.
“Despite his impressive 6-foot-6, 270-pound frame, Turner hasn’t made much of an impact,” Valentino wrote on Thursday, August 22. “The Saints have already declined Turner’s fifth-year option and added Chase Young in free agency. The writing is on the wall that Turner’s time is nearly up, and had another solid option emerged, he’d surely be on the outs.”
Valentino added that the Saints are now at the point in Turner’s contract where they could save nearly $2.5 million by cutting him loose, which means the $12.5 million defensive end could be on the open market soon
Payton Turner Has Not Lived Up to Draft Position, Represents Cheap Edge Option With Upside
GettyEdge rusher Payton Turner of the New Orleans Saints.
Turner would be a buy-low, swing-big bet for the Bears considering his level of production since entering the league.
The defensive end has appeared in just 15 games over three years, earning zero starts. He has played a total of 339 defensive snaps, as well as 59 snaps on special teams, per Pro Football Reference.
Turner’s traditional counting statistics include 29 total tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 8 QB hits and just 3 sacks. Most of that production came over his first two campaigns.
Pro Football Focus afforded Turner a semi-reasonable overall player grade of 60.5 for his work last season, though that rating was based on just 25 total defensive snaps in just two games played.
As such, little can be gleaned about Turner’s play last year, either from traditional or advanced metrics, other than the fact that the Saints didn’t believe he was worthy of much action in their defensive line rotations. However, Turner also suffered a toe injury that plagued him across the last four weeks of the campaign.
The Bears certainly wouldn’t be able to count on a player like Turner to show up late in camp and play his way into the pass-rush rotation immediately, but he’s a cheap option with at least theoretical upside entering his age-25 campaign.
Bears Have Minimal Pass-Rush Specialist Options Outside of Austin Booker
GettyChicago Bears defensive end Austin Booker.
Chicago is poised to start DeMarcus Walker alongside Sweat at the other defensive end position, though it may be rookie Austin Booker upon whom the Bears call in obvious pass-rushing situations. Part of that is because Booker has had a solid preseason. Another piece is that the team doesn’t really have anyone else to whom it can turn.
Booker tallied 3 QB hits, 2.5 sacks and 2 tackles for loss during Chicago’s second preseason game of the month against the Buffalo Bills. He was relatively quiet in the contests before and after, but has been a standout practice player over the last several weeks.
Chicago selected Booker in the fifth-round out of Kansas, sacrificing a fourth-round pick in 2024 to move back into this year’s draft and grab him. Most analysts projected Booker as a developmental player who wouldn’t contribute meaningfully for a year or two. However, if the Bears can’t land a player like New York Jets edge rusher Haason Reddick via a trade, Booker could make an impact as a rookie out of necessity as much as anything.
If that appears the likely paradigm come the end of the month, Chicago would do well to consider a younger and cheaper option who might hit free agency via a cut, such as Turner, to compete with Booker and offer some injury insurance to the DE position group.
