Chicago Bears Training Camp 2024: Position battles to look for

Starting Defensive End: Walker vs Robinson vs Booker

This is the position that has many people around the Chicago Bears worried — the defensive end. The Chicago Bears have had trouble getting to the quarterback recently. Poles feels that he got half of the problem taken care of with Montez Sweat. Sweat came in on a trade deadline deal, then signed a long-term extension.

Having Sweat is great. However, we saw in last year’s regular-season finale how things can turn. The Green Bay Packers sent a swarm of players at Sweat, totally disrespecting whoever was on the other side. The plan worked, as the Chicago Bears did not have anyone who could make the Packers pay for focusing everything on Sweat.

Many felt Poles would address that this offseason. They felt he would use his ninth pick on a pass rusher. He did not, however. He waited until the fifth round where he made a trade to pick up Austin Booker.

Booker looks like be will become a star. He led the Kansas Jayhawks in sacks and tackles for loss. That happened despite him being a backup player. He only had 580 total snaps in his college career.

When you see his tape, however, he does not look like an inexperienced player. He has a variety of moves to get to the quarterback. He is supremely quick and athletic. His first step is explosive. He can get deep into the backfield before the offensive blocker turns his head.

Booker is effective rushing the outside or sliding inside on a stunt. He is incredibly quick and sheds blockers quickly.

The question is how quickly Booker can do that to NFL opponents. These players will be bigger and faster than those in college. His inexperience could come to haunt him early on in his pro career. In OTAs and minicamp, he did a good job. He held his own against the first-teamers and dominated against the second-teamers.

Now comes the important time. How does he do against the first-teamers when the pads are on? Getting the job done in a t-shirt and shorts is one thing. What happens when you have pads and you get hit? Booker will be a star. Many draft analysts said if he stayed one more year he could have been a first-round pick. Now we need to see how quickly he can be a star in the NFL.

DeMarcus Walker was a starter last season. He was not effective at all, however. He only has 3.5 sacks. That was his lowest since 2018 when he only played in three games. Now he has a chance to show that was an aberration. He signed a three-year, $21 million deal last season. He has to show something during training camp or he might find himself out.

This could be a situation similar to the center job — the winner might not be on the roster yet. There are still some good free-agent pass rushers available. Poles could decide that what he has is not enough. The Chicago Bears still have plenty of salary cap space so he can go out and pick someone up.

One of the players Poles could target is Yannick Ngakoue. He struggled at times last season but started to play better once Sweat got to Chicago. However, he suffered a fractured ankle that ended his season. If he shows he is healthy the Chicago Bears could come calling. They can try to see if there is some magic between Sweat and Ngakoue.

The hope is that the Chicago Bears just need a bridge player until Booker is ready. The way Booker progresses, if he shows he could be ready next season to be a starter then the Bears can pick someone up for just a one-year deal. Ngakoue could be a perfect pickup. He can sign a one-year “prove it” deal. If he plays well, then he can go on to another team.

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