The deadline for rosters to be cut down to 53 players has come and gone. Now, coaching staffs are piecing together the game plans for their season openers as they finally know which of the players they entered training camp with will be in uniform and available to play in Week 1.
Unfortunately, the Chicago Bears revealed on Thursday that they will be without one of their premier performers from the preseason when the regular season kicks off next weekend. After the Bears announced a series of roster moves on Thursday afternoon, Scott Bair of Marquee Sports Network shared that one of the moves that was made involved placing 2024 draft pick Austin Booker on the injured reserve.
Scott Daly and Devin Duvernay are back on the Bears 53-man roster a day after being taken off of it. No surprise there.
— Scott Bair (@ScottBairNFL) August 28, 2025
That came with a series of roster moves:
Signed:
LS Scott Daly
WR Devin Duvernay
Injured reserve:
DL Austin Booker (he'll miss at least four games)…
Bears' Preseason Stud Austin Booker to Miss First 4 Games of Season
After being selected in the fifth round in 2024, the former Kansas Jayhawks standout put together a solid rookie season as he made the transition from the college game to the NFL. The Booker appeared in all 17 games as a rookie and recorded 21 total tackles and 1.5 quarterback sacks.
While those numbers don't exactly jump off the page, it was the jump that Booker made during the 2025 preseason that had fans thinking he could become a bigger contributor to the team's defensive front this year. After finishing the exhibition season with eight total tackles, four sacks, and one forced fumble in two appearances, the 22-year-old was one of the unquestioned stars of the preseason for Chicago.
Now, after being placed on the IR with a knee injury suffered during the team's preseason matchup against the Buffalo Bills, fans will have to wait until at least Week 4 to see what Booker is capable of doing once the results actually matter.
With Montez Sweat and Dayo Odeyingbo penciled in as the starters on the edge for the Bears, missing Booker for four weeks should not hurt Chicago too badly in the short term. Having a player capable of making the contributions he did during the preseason in uniform and available to play, though, will only be an added boost once that time comes.
Bears fans will just have to wait and see if Booker is the same dominant force he was in the preseason once he returns from this injury.