Sportsnaut
The Chicago Bears had a plethora of players post impressive preseasons in 2025, but none were more impactful than edge rusher Austin Booker.
Booker led all players in sacks during the preseason with four and looked poised for a breakout campaign this year. However, the 2024 fifth-round pick will have to wait a few weeks before seeing the field again.
The Bears announced a couple of roster moves on Thursday, including Booker being placed on short-term IR. The young pass rusher will miss the first four games of the season and will be eligible to return in Week 6, as Chicago has. Week 5 bye.
Booker suffered a knee injury during the Bears’ Week 2 preseason contest against the Buffalo Bills. He didn’t play in the preseason finale versus the Kansas City Chiefs, and head coach Ben Johnson stated after the game that Booker would be out for a few weeks.
It’s not overly surprising that the Bears placed Booker on IR, as it gives the team an opportunity to add another player with the open roster spot. Booker should also be back at some point this season, but having him on IR for now is the correct move.
However, losing Booker for the first couple of games is a major blow to a Bears’ defense that lacks high-quality depth at edge rusher. Chicago needs the Minnesota product to generate pressure as a rotational pass rusher when he returns sometime in the future, likely in October.
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