After a successful debut in the Hall of Fame game, Chicago Bears defensive end Austin Booker has another great game against the Buffalo Bills, showing he needs to see snaps against starters.
The Chicago Bears traveled to Buffalo and the Bills were great hosts. Chicago came away with an impressive 33-6 victory. Both the offense and the defense looked very strong. After none of the starters saw action in last week’s Hall of Fame game, the fans were excited to see them in action on Saturday.
The Chicago Bears did not disappoint their fans. Nearly everything went flawlessly against the Bills. This was just their second game so of course there is still some things to sharpen. However, rookie quarterback Caleb Williams‘ debut went as well as could be. He showed why Chicago Bears General Manager Ryan Poles was so enamored with the talent.
There was something else that should make Chicago Bears fans ecstatic. That is the continued good play by defensive end Austin Booker. Despite not having big numbers against the Houston Texans last week, he had a big game. He was constantly near the quarterback and was responsible for a fumble.
Against the Bills, Booker had another big game. This time, however, he also had the stats. He had 4 tackles (2 for loss), 3 quarterback hits, and 2.5 sacks. He did that despite the absence of Montez Sweat. Sweat and a few other defensive players sat out the game.
© Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
The Chicago Bears wanted to see what they had in some of their backups. They got a great look at Booker. He has been tearing it up during training camp, killing the reserve offensive linemen. As the game against the Bills progressed, Booker was dominating. Once again, he was giving his man fits and was creating pressure.
The Chicago Bears still feel that Booker is a project. However, he is showing that perhaps that project may be ahead of schedule. His play thus far is not that of an inexperienced rookie with just 580 college snaps under his belt. He looks like a veteran making big plays.
This is what Poles loved from Booker when he traded a 2025 fourth-round pick to select Booker in the fifth round. Head coach Matt Eberflus was impressed with Booker.
It’s what we saw coming out. He’s got a really good slip, an ability to rush the passer with speed and not predetermine what he’s gonna do ahead of time. I think that stresses the offensive tackles out when a guy doesn’t predetermine or shuffle his feet. He shows that speed-to-power [ability] and speed-and-spin inside. . . . It’s good.
© Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
If this is how the project looks like now, imagine what the finished product will look. Booker is showing that he needs to see more snaps against the starters. He has held his own in training camp so far. He is dominating the reserves and making some of them look silly. It is time to see how he does against the starters.
Booker may struggle with more looks against the ones. That is perfectly fine. Being a project, the Bears want to see how good he is at the moment. If, however, he starts to perform well against the starters, the team may have found something big for the defense. That could alleviate a lot of doubts about the Chicago Bears pass rush.
© Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports
Many still believe that the Chicago Bears need a veteran edge rusher. If Booker continues to rise in his play, that belief could be ended. Poles has already said he wants the situation to run its course so he could see. So far, Booker could be giving him his answer.
We already see how the edge rusher addition is on the back burner. Poles went out and picked up a player to fortify the defensive line. However, it was not an edge rusher. Rather it was a defensive tackle. Depth is a question there so Poles went and got some depth help. Edge rusher could be the last thing on his mind.
It is encouraging to see how well Austin Booker is playing. If he can keep this up we could see the biggest steal of the 2024 NFL Draft.
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