While the Chicago Bears have made plenty of changes to their roster, one area of concern continuously brought up is the team’s pass rush. But rather than dip back into the free agent market, Chicago’s answer may already be on the roster.
The Bears signed Dayo Odeyingbo to a three-year, $48 million contract this offseason. He joins Montez Sweat as Chicago’s new edge rush pairing. Odeyingbo is coming off of back-to-back 17 quarterback hit campaigns while Sweat is the questioned leader of the defensive line. Both should bring chaos to opposing team’s backfields all throughout 2025.
However, the Bears’ options behind Sweat and Odeyingbo are quite limited in terms of experience. One of those players is Austin Booker, who Chicago selected in the fifth-round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Before the Bears go out and sign anyone in free agency, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune argues Booker should be given an opportunity to earn a role.
“The new coaching staff needs to get a better feel for what it has in Austin Booker before it wades into the free-agent market for potential help. In a perfect world, Booker is ready to fill a situational pass-rushing role,” Biggs wrote. “As I noted above in the answer to the Trey Hendrickson question, the Bears have been inept at growing their own pass rushers, and before going outside the building for help, they need to determine if Booker potentially can fill the role.”
What Austin Booker offers Chicago Bears
As a day three pick, Booker is a bit of a dart throw. Furthermore, he was selected before new head coach Ben Johnson or defensive coordinator Dennis Allen came to town. However, Booker is/was a clear favorite of general manager Ryan Poles. Already locked in with the Bears through 2028 on a cheap contract, the Bears must at least see what they have in Booker before signing a player outside of the organization.
The defensive end appeared in all 17 games as a rookie, making 21 tackles, four quarterback hits and 1.5 sacks. Despite playing on just 283 snaps total, Booker found a way to make an impact. However, with a 52.5 grade from Pro Football Focus, it’s clear the 22-year-old has some areas of his game that he is still developing.
However, it wasn’t long ago that Booker was a dominant force at Kansas. After transferring over from Minnesota, the defensive end racked up 56 tackles, 12 for a loss and eight sacks. Booker was named the Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year and First-team All-Big 12.
Outside of Booker, Chicago’s other options at rotational pass rusher are names like Dominque Robinson, Daniel Hardy and Xavier Carlton. All offer potential, but none are guaranteed to make the roster let alone make an impact.
In a sense, neither is Booker, although his selection in the fifth will keep him safer than any of the other three names. He’ll need to have a strong offseason program to prove he belongs in Allen’s new defensive core. But if Booker can elevate his game and become a lethal threat off the edge like he was in college, the Bears’ pass rush problems will get one step closer to being solved.
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