The Chicago Bears updated their injury report on Saturday afternoon ahead of the team's Week 7 matchup against the New Orleans Saints at Soldier Field.
Unfortunately, despite his 21-day window being opened nearly two weeks ago, fans in the Windy City will be forced to wait a little longer to see Austin Booker return to Chicago's defensive front. According to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, Travis Homer was activated from the IR and elevated to the 53-man roster for Sunday's game. Booker, however, is set to remain a spectator for another week.
Bears Elect to Keep Austin Booker Off Active Roster For Week 7
This means that Booker will have to wait one more week before he is added to the active roster, which would put him in line to make his 2025 season debut against the Baltimore Ravens. Regardless of what Lamar Jackson's status will be for that game, the Bears are going to need every weapon they have at their disposal to get consistent pressure on a quarterback as elusive as the former MVP.
The puzzling part of Booker remaining sidelined is that he has been listed as a full participant in practice for the last two weeks. Despite his ability to be on the field for practice, Chicago's coaching staff hasn't been ready to pull the trigger on adding him to the active roster. While they certainly have their reasons for this decision, it is enough to raise the collective eyebrows of the fan base after Booker recorded four sacks during the preseason.
If, for some strange reason, Booker is not activated by the time Week 8 rolls around, then Bears fans' questions will turn into serious concerns. As had been previously reported, the 21-day practice window for Booker opened on Oct. 7, meaning it will stretch beyond Chicago's scheduled game against Baltimore on Oct. 26.
However, if Booker is unable to play in that game, then that window will likely pass without the defender being activated, leaving him on the season-ending IR. At this time, there has not been anything reported that would suggest this is a likely outcome. With that being said, the fact that Booker remains inactive is worth monitoring moving forward, as one way or another, some reasoning behind these decisions will have to be shared sooner or later.