Chicago Bears defensive end Austin Booker wants to play a bigger part of the defense. The rookie was in on a little more than a quarter of the snaps in his rookie season. He recorded 21 tackles (3 for loss), 1.5 sacks, and 4 quarterback hits. He flashed some of his tools on occasion but the coaches wanted to ease him in.
The reason for that was that Booker played very little at the college level. He played in only 18 games between the Minnesota Golden Gophers and the Kansas Jayhawks. In that short time, however, he looked amazing. Despite being a backup player he led the Jayhawks in sacks in 2023.
While Booker looked very good in his limited time, many analysts felt that another season in college would help him. Booker disagreed. He declared for the NFL Draft and the Chicago Bears selected him in the fifth round of last year’s draft. The coaching staff felt the same way as the analysts did so he did not play a lot.
Austin Booker wants to be an integral part of the Chicago Bears defense
Now, after a season under his belt, Booker looks to break out and play a bigger role. The Chicago Bears are looking for someone to step up on the opposite side of Montez Sweat and give him some help. The Bears signed Dayo Odeyingbo and, with his big free agent contract, he looks to be the starter, for now.
Booker feels that the speed of the NFL play has slowed down for him. Now he can make a bigger impact with more experience. What has also helped him is the eight pounds he gained over the offseason. He is ready to take off.
I feel like maybe it slowed down a little bit. But I feel like I looked in the mirror and improved myself… I feel like I’m being more consistent than last year. And so even in practice I’ve shown up. So I just want to continue what I’ve been doing and be consistent.
Booker is listed as Sweat’s backup. However, he wants to eye that starting job. He has had a great training camp so far, making a big impression. When it came to game time in the Chicago Bears’ preseason debut, his success continued. Booker was all over the Miami Dolphins’ offense. He recorded six tackles (three for loss), three sacks, four quarterback hits, and a forced fumble. That fumble was at Miami’s five yard line that set up an easy touchdown for the Bears.
Austin Booker has his 3rd sack which leads to a takeaway!
Watch on @NFLNetwork
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/eMhWhgaCiX— NFL (@NFL) August 10, 2025
Booker can play a big part of the “wave of pass rushers”
One of the things the Chicago Bears want to do this season is send waves of pass rushers at opposing quarterbacks. If they can do that, they will wear down the opposition late in games. Booker can be a big part of that. He made an impression on the most important person. New Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson acknowledged how big of a game he had.
He was a factor the entire game, just a menace. You really feed off of that, those negative plays like that. That’s obviously a huge thing in terms of ending drives, but also the offense sitting on the sideline, they see that, and they feel that, and that momentum carries over to the other side of the ball as well.
With the big game Booker had this weekend, he will certainly gain more snaps with the starters in practice. Should he continue to perform well, then back it up more in the preseason games, he could be primed to have a breakout season in 2025.
Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams having hard time putting passes ‘in reach’ of receivers
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
