The Chicago Bears keep riding high. Ben Johnson's team survived a close and ugly win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and they look like a legitimate Super Bowl contender, even with all the injuries.
Ryan Poles already proved that he's not afraid to make big moves by trading for Jeffery Simmons. The Bears have also kept tabs on Khalil Mack, though it looks like the Los Angeles Chargers don't want to listen to trade offers.
Disappointing as that might be, the Bears may not need the future Hall of Famer after all. Austin Booker is blossoming and turning into a star right before our eyes, and the Bears might not need to add another pass rusher because of him.
The Chicago Bears found a true gem in Austin Booker
Booker showed his prowess again in the win over the Saints. While he was called for a bad facemask late in the game, he also finished with four total tackles (three solo), two quarterback hits, one tackle for loss, and a sack.
Despite starting just two of nine games, the third-year pass rusher is up to a career-high 5.0 sacks. He also has 27 total tackles, seven tackles for loss, six quarterback hits, one pass defended, and two forced fumbles.
According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Booker also ranks eighth among pass-rushers in run stops (15), and he has 16 total pressures and a 70.1 overall grade, which ranks 35th among 112 eligible edge rushers.
He's certainly made the most of Dayo Odeyingbo's absence, proving that he can hold down the fort opposite Montez Sweat and that he should have an expanded role going forward. Even when Odeyingbo returns, he should probably remain the starter.
Adding Jeffery Simmons to the mix will obviously open up way too many things for the rest of the defense. His ability to collapse the interior of the pocket is second to none, and that will inevitably force teams to focus on him and leave other guys, like Booker, alone in favorable matchups.
That said, he also deserves plenty of credit for his continuous improvement, even before Simmons' arrival. He's added more juice to his pass-rushing repertoire, and he's been hungrier and much more aggressive since the start of the season.
Of course, everyone would love to see Maxx Crosby, Khalil Mack, or any big-name pass rusher make his way to the Windy City, but maybe they just need to trust their homegrown talent.
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