The Chicago Bears took another big step toward their first division title since 2018 when they defeated the Green Bay Packers 22-16 on Saturday night. The overtime victory had plenty of players that stepped up but one of the most noticeable was edge rusher Austin Booker.
A second-year player who starred in the preseason, Booker has shaken off a knee injury and collected 11 pressures and 2.5 sacks over his last three games according to Pro Football Focus. While one of those sacks and a hit that knocked Jordan Love out of the game came on Saturday night, Booker is one of the few players that has risen to the occasion as the Bears close in on the playoffs.
The problem is the rest of the pass rush needs to follow suit. While Booker and Montez Sweat have done their jobs, there are plenty of questions behind them. Those questions not only will impact the Bears’ ability to make a deep playoff run but they could also bleed into the offseason where Chicago will need to target the pass rush to make sure their strong 2025 season isn’t an outlier.
Bears Pass Rush Is Already Becoming an Offseason Priority for 2026
The Bears' pass rush has been a continuous talking point this season. Chicago attempted to shore up the unit with big free agent contracts to Dayo Odeyingbo and Grady Jarrett, but neither player has lived up to the expectations of their contract. The Bears also selected Shemar Turner in the second round of April’s draft, yet he experienced some growing pains before suffering a season-ending knee injury.
With Turner tearing his ACL and Odeyingbo tearing his Achilles’ tendon, the Bears needed a lot to field a functional unit this season. Sweat has lived up to his end of the bargain, leading Chicago with 46 pressures and 9.5 sacks and Booker’s recent surge has given him a solid tag team partner. Both players accounted for the two sacks on Saturday night, but Gervon Dexter Sr. was the only player to collect more than two pressures in the win over the Packers.
The rest of the group leaves a lot to be desired. Dominique Robinson has been decent when used sparingly but his 51.0 overall Pro Football Focus grade suggests he’s not part of the answer. Andrew Billings and trade deadline pickup Joe Tryon-Shoyinka also have been disappointing, making pass rusher one of the Bears’ biggest needs going into the offseason.
Jarrett will turn 33 in April but has two years remaining on the three-year, $42.75 million contract he signed last spring. Odeyingbo and Turner may also not be ready for the start of the season due to their major injuries and it could inspire the Bears to use a draft pick on another edge rusher or go after a free agent pickup.
With Chicago pressuring Packer quarterbacks on 11-of-32 (34.3%) dropbacks on Saturday, it’s clear something needs to be done. And if no one steps up over the final stretch, general manager Ryan Poles may have to bring it upon himself to fix the problem.