Bears Get Essential Reinforcements at a Position of Need
Edge rusher was a concern for the Chicago Bears before the 2025 regular season even began — and through four weeks, we’ve seen exactly why.
Chicago’s defensive front has been subpar all year, recording just five team sacks across four games. Three of those came in Week 1 against the Minnesota Vikings. Since then, sacks — or negative plays of any kind — have been hard to come by for this defense.
After Dayo Odeyingbo and Montez Sweat (who hasn’t quite been the player Chicago is paying him to be), the next man up at edge rusher has been Tanoh Kpassagnon — a solid rotational piece, but one who began the season on the Bears’ practice squad. Kpassagnon has one of Chicago’s five sacks this season, which tells you everything about the lack of depth at the position.
The Bears need reinforcements — badly. And fortunately, help isn’t far away.
Austin Booker Nears Return From IR
Head coach Ben Johnson announced Tuesday that the Bears have officially opened the 21-day practice window for second-year edge rusher Austin Booker.
When a player is designated to return from Injured Reserve, the team has 21 days to activate him to the 53-man roster. During that window, the player can practice fully — but he can’t play in games until officially activated.
It’s essentially a testing period to make sure a guy’s healthy and ready to go before taking up an active roster spot. If the team doesn’t activate him within those three weeks, he goes back on injured reserve for the rest of the season.
Booker, a talented but still raw pass rusher out of the University of Kansas, was drafted by Chicago in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. General manager Ryan Poles was so high on him that he traded up into the fifth round to make the pick, sending a 2025 fourth-rounder to the Buffalo Bills — a pick Buffalo later used on rookie defensive lineman Deone Walker.
Booker isn’t a finished product. He still has work to do against the run before he can be trusted as a true three-down defender. But when it comes to pressuring the quarterback, the potential is real. He flashed it in August, racking up four sacks in two preseason games.
A Timely Boost for Chicago’s Defense
Even if Booker doesn’t suit up against the Washington Commanders on Monday Night Football, it won’t be long before he’s back in game action. With the 21-day practice window now open, his return feels imminent — and it couldn’t come at a better time.
When Chicago needs to generate pressure, Booker will be on the field. And the Bears’ defense should be better because of it.
Once again, that early bye week — as inconvenient as it looked on the schedule — might end up being a blessing in disguise for the Bears.