Bears banking on Austin Booker to jumpstart pass rush

Peter Van De Berg - USA Today Sports

Dustin Riese · Senior Writer · 6 hours ago

As mentioned last week, despite an early Bye week for the Chicago Bears, this was the one time where you could live with it, as the Bears needed the time off. Sure, no one wants to go into a bye week after winning two straight games, but when you are dealing with the injuries this team has faced all season, having an early bye can be vital, as it allows your team to get healthy.

That was the plan for the Bears going into the Bye, and coming out of the Bye, things have gone according to plan, as several players appear to be on their way back from the injured list, which is something to look for in the weeks ahead. T.J. Edwards and Kyler Gordon are two players who have missed time over the past few weeks, and their addition to this defense will go a long way for the Bears, as they need to be at the top of their game for the rest of the way.

Along with that, veteran running back Travis Homer has seen his 21-day practice window open after beginning the season on the injured list and is now on the mend to get ready to play by week six or seven. Homer isn't someone you would expect to see in the backfield anytime soon, but he has been one of the Bears' best special teams players during his three-year run in Chicago.

His addition alone will help shore up the coverage unit, which has been an issue for the Bears all season. Perhaps the most notable name apart from Gordon on the mend is second-year Edge rusher Austin Booker, who has also seen his 21-day practice window open. Booker was off to a great start during the preseason as he was fighting for one of the Bears' starting linebacker spots, only to injure his knee during the Bears' second preseason game.

Initially expected to be more serious than it turned out to be, Booker was still placed on the PUP list to begin the season, as the team wanted to ensure he was 100% before returning. Now that he has gotten close to that point, his 21-day return window has opened as he will now work to get back into game shape before being turned loose on the field.

Although the Bears' defense has performed well this season, they have still struggled to get after the quarterback, ranking 26th in the NFL in sacks. That is especially frustrating, considering Chicago has Montez Sweat and Dari Odeyingbo on defense, but neither of them has been able to do much when it comes to getting after the quarterback.

That is where Booker and his importance come into play, as he could be the single biggest X-factor for this defense and could be the player who gets the Bears' pass rush back on track after struggling over the past few seasons. Prior to his injury, Booker was off to an incredible start in the preseason and was easily the team's best pass rusher from the jump.

He secured multiple sacks in the Bears' preseason opener, and then followed that up with an additional sack against the Bills in week two before going down with the injury. Neither one of those games saw Booker up against the starting linemen that he will face once he returns to the field, but this was always a player that many felt could make a difference, despite being a fifth-round pick in 2024.

The former Kansas Jayhawks star saw action in all 17 games a season ago, and despite offering limited production, he did show plenty of promise. Booker went on to finish the season with 21 tackles, 14 of which were solo tackles, and added 1.5 sacks. Not bad for a limited role player who came into the league undrafted, but when you look at what he did in college and compare it to the start he got off in the preseason, there was reason to believe that he was on the verge of having a breakout year.

Booker was viewed as one of the better pass rushers in his class, evident by his eight sack season in 2023 after posting just one sack in 2022. That alone was a massive reason why the Bears selected him, as they saw a lot of Khalil Mack in him and felt he could be a difference maker. While that hasn't happened yet, don't count him out, as Booker is finally healthy and ready to take on an even bigger role on the defensive end, looking to add to a struggling pass rush.