The Chicago Bears squared off against the Kansas City Chiefs starters in their final preseason game on Friday night. One thing that became evident early on was the Bears' lack of pass rush. This was an issue for the team last year, which was addressed by adding Dayo Odeyingbo and Grady Jarrett.
Still, Chicago's pass rush didn't look great against the Chiefs' first team. Unfortunately, the Bears fans received bad news about a pass rusher who was putting together a great preseason following the game. According to Sean Hammond of the Chicago Tribune, head coach Ben Johnson told the media that Austin Booker is expected to miss a few weeks with a knee injury.
Austin Booker is going to be out “a few weeks” with a knee injury, per Ben Johnson.
— Sean Hammond (@sean_hammond) August 23, 2025
Bears DE Austin Booker to Miss First Few Games of the 2025 Season
Bears fans have wondered about the status of Booker for the past week. During Chicago's second preseason game, the 22-year-old left with an injury early in the second half. While reporters saw him leave the field, no one knew exactly what his injury was.
However, since he missed the Bears' two practices this week, fans were worried. Now that Johnson has shared Booker's injury, Bears fans are likely even more worried about the pass rush heading into Week 1.
This is because the former fifth-round pick was putting together a great preseason. In two preseason games, Booker had tallied five sacks, one quarterback hit, three quarterback hurries, and nine quarterback pressures, according to PFF. Moreover, he recorded a 93.8 pass rush grade, a 74.6 run defense grade, and a 93.6 overall grade. Those numbers put him among the top performers of the preseason league-wide, not just on the Bears’ roster.
Though Booker looked strong in the preseason last year, this year it seemed as though he added some good power to his game. As a result, fans are excited to see what he can do against starters.
Be that as it may, seeing how Booker measures up against the starters will have to wait. That said, this injury may force Chicago to add another player to its rotation for the first few weeks. If the Bears do choose to sign another pass rusher during Booker's absence, it will only help to push him when he gets back.