Nothing about what the Chicago Bears did this offseason makes sense. Everybody knew the team needed more help with their pass rush. It had been evident for most of last season that the defensive line wasn’t getting enough pressure. Any sensible team would’ve brought in some help. Yet free agency came and went. The draft came and went. Nothing. They didn’t add a single notable edge rusher to the mix. General manager Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson both said the same thing. They were encouraged by how Dayo Odeyingbo and Shemar Turner were coming along before their respective injuries. The team wanted to give them another opportunity. It sounded nice, but anybody with common sense knew it wasn’t true. The truth was it was an all-in gamble on one player: Austin Booker.
The team hasn’t hidden its excitement about the former 5th round pick, even back to when he first arrived last year. They saw an immense talent hiding in an underdeveloped body. Once he filled out his frame and expanded his arsenal of moves, he could be a dynamic player. After a somewhat quiet first season, Booker exploded during the 2025 preseason, dominating every blocker he lined up against. Then, right before the season kicked off, he injured his knee.
Austin Booker Watch was put on hold for two months.
He didn’t return until week nine of the regular season. After so much time off and having to spend most of it recovering, expectations weren’t overly high for his return. Sure enough, his first month back was largely forgettable. In five games, he managed just one season and nine total pressures. Combined with his rookie season, Booker had played 24 games, managing just 2.5 sacks and 34 pressures. That was nowhere close to what the Bears or fans had hoped for.
| Season | Games Played | Sacks | Total Pressures | QB Hits | Hurries | Pass-Rush Snap Count | Pass-Rush Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 17 | 1.5 | 25 | 4 | 19.5 | 154 | 60.2 |
| 2025 (Through Week 13) | 5 | 1.0 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 134 | 62.4 |
That’s okay, though. After all, the Bears had seen encouraging signs from Odeyingbo and Turner, right? The problem is the numbers don’t back that up. Not even a little. Odeyingbo rushed the quarterback 207 times before tearing his Achilles in Cincinnati. He had 10 pressures on the quarterback with only one sack. Turner. He had 34 rushes in limited action. He didn’t register a single pressure.
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| Stat Category | Dayo Odeyingbo | Shemar Turner |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pressures | 10 (1 sack, 2 hits, 7 hurries) | 0 |
| Pass-Rushing Snaps | 207 | 34 |
| Games Played | 8 (Season-ending injury) | 5 (Rookie season) |
So again, the question must be asked. What compelled the Bears to ignore edge help after seeing all of that for more than half the season?
It all boils down to December and January.
Through the game in Philadelphia, Booker wasn’t making much of an impact. All of that changed starting in the first matchup against the Green Bay Packers. After getting three pressures that night, everything became dialed in. He dominated Cleveland for two sacks, had a half sack in the rematch against the Packers, and another sack against San Francisco the week after that. In total, Booker had 15 pressures and 3.5 sacks in that five-game stretch to end the regular season. Then he added five more pressures and a QB hit in the two playoff games.
| Season | Games Played | Sacks | Total Pressures | QB Hits | Hurries | Pass-Rush Snaps | Pass-Rush Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Regular Season (Games 6–10) | 5 | 3.5 | 15 | 5 | 6 | 151 | 68.7 |
| NFC Wild Card | 1 | 0.0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 22 | 64.0 |
| NFC Divisional | 1 | 0.0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 19 | 61.2 |
| Total Post-Week 13 Production | 7 | 3.5 | 20 | 6 | 10 | 192 | — |
If you look at that five-game snippet and average it out to a full season, you begin to see why the Bears might be willing to gamble on Austin Booker. He would’ve had 12 sacks and 51 quarterback pressures. That was the player we saw in the preseason and the player the team thought they drafted. It is very likely that Poles didn’t want to add a veteran edge rusher because he knew it would take snaps away from Booker.
There is additional data to support the Bears’ decision.
Through the first 12 games of the season, in which Booker did not play or was struggling, the Bears’ defense allowed 24.5 points per game. Over the five-game stretch where he began to rev things up, that dipped to 21.6 points per game. Chicago allowed 250 yards passing or less in four of those five games. The only outlier was that shootout in San Francisco. He may not have had a Micah Parsons or Myles Garrett-type impact, but it was clear his presence was influencing the defense’s performance.
If he can maintain or even improve that level of play, coupled with a bout of good health in the secondary, the Bears could be much better defensively in 2026. Is it somewhat reckless to put all your chips on an unproven player like that? Absolutely. However, it isn’t uncharted territory. Back in 1999 and 2000, the Bears pass rush was struggling. Most expected them to swing big for help in 2001, but they didn’t. Part of the reason was that they liked one of their young guys, Rosevelt Colvin.
He had 10.5 sacks that season, thanks in large part to finally staying healthy. Sound familiar? Maybe Booker can follow the same path.
