There was a lot that went right for the Chicago Bears on Sunday night as they blasted the Buffalo Bills 38-0 in their second preseason game. Fans could take their pick on what was the biggest storyline of the night as Caleb Williams led a 92-yard touchdown drive on the first possession of the game and the defense suffocated a Josh Allen-less Buffalo offense, limiting them to just 180 yards of offense.
While those stats will get the most of the headlines, there’s another story brewing late in preseason games. It has a Bears defender on the verge of winning a roster spot and a key role entering the year and perhaps a ticket to take it easy when Chicago wraps up the preseason against the Kansas City Chiefs on Friday night.
Stunt and Austin Booker loops around Andrew Billings to sack #Bills QB Mike White.
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) August 18, 2025
That's 1.5 sacks for Booker tonight and 4.5 in preseason so far.
Bears DE Austin Booker Wraps Up His Roster Spot with Latest Preseason Performance
There were many standouts on Sunday night, but one player that has impressed all preseason long is edge rusher Austin Booker. The Kansas product, who was taken by Chicago in the fifth round of the 2024 draft, was at it again against the Bills, racking up 1.5 sacks and bringing his preseason total to an NFL-high 4.5 sacks during the preseason.
It wasn’t all good news for Booker, who was ruled out of the game with a knee injury in the second half. But with the way he’s been playing, Booker should have already earned his spot and the right to focus his attention on the Sept. 8 opener against the Minnesota Vikings.
Booker played 17 games for the Bears last season, logging 21 total tackles, three tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. Pro Football Focus painted a different picture of Booker’s rookie season, however, as his 52.5 overall grade ranked 117th out of 131 qualifying edge rushers. But Booker has looked like a different player this preseason.
In the first two preseason games, Booker’s 93.6 overall grade is second among qualifiers behind Arnold Ebiketie of the Atlanta Falcons. His 93.8 pass-rushing grade is also second to Ebiketie’s 94.0 grade and he logged nine quarterback pressures on 30 pass-rushing snaps, posting an absurd 30% pressure rate.
Most of those numbers are boosted by his performance in the preseason opener when he recorded three sacks including a strip sack against the Miami Dolphins.
“I feel like I was just playing fast and sticking to what I’m best at – just playing hard,” Booker told Gabby Hajduk of the Bears’ team website. “It just felt good, like all the hard work from the offseason and camp so far was paying off.”
Montez Sweat is locked in as a starter at edge rusher but free-agent acquisition Dayo Odeyingbo has had a disappointing camp. While he may not start right away, Booker should earn one of the backup spots heading into the season and could have a bigger role as it progresses.
Hopefully, Booker’s injury is minor. But even if it doesn’t require him to miss significant time, he should be watching the finale against the Chiefs from the sidelines.