How Real Is the Austin Booker Breakout?
First off, can anyone tell me what a guy needs to do to get an injury update on a promising second-year player who leads the preseason in sacks? I’ve been checking Twitter for Austin Booker injury news every ten minutes.
It’s bad for my health!
Nearly 72 hours and three media sessions have passed, and the Bears play in the third-largest market in the US. I can’t comprehend it. At this point, no news feels like good news, right? RIGHT?! The first reporter to ask for a life alert on Booker will be my new favorite member of Bears media even if it’s Mark Carman.
With that said, IF Booker didn’t blow out his knee against Buffalo, then he could be on the precipice of a big season for Chicago. He was someone I liked a lot coming out of the University of Kansas last year. In fact, I called him the wildcard of the Bears’ 2024 NFL Draft class last year. He never should’ve been available in the fifth round, and I was stoked when the Bears traded back into the draft for him. Never wrong, just early.
Booker’s talent was more indicative of someone selected in the third round than the fifth. However, he was incredibly raw after only being a starter for one year at Kansas, which probably caused some teams to shy away. His pass-rush ability was on full display during that season, though, as he finished the year with eight sacks, earning All-Big 12 honors in the process.
I was watching Booker closely against the Dolphins last week. I’ve had an article idea on my Notes app titled “Austin Booker: The Bears’ Forgotten Man” since July. There just wasn’t much buzz about him coming out of OTAs or training camp. He seemed like an afterthought after a busy offseason. He’s far from it now. Needless to say, I’ve been itching to write this blog since he recorded three sacks in the Dolphins game. I needed to see him do it again, though. He did that against the Bills, when he recorded another sack and was a split-second away from a few more. To put it bluntly, he’s been dominant.
If you’re a pessimist, you could mention that his standout performances have come against backups. If you’re an annoying pessimist, you could say that he did the same thing last preseason. I bet you’re a lot of fun at parties.
To those doubters, I say that he was far too raw to build on his high-level preseason play last year, and the fact that he still stood out was a testament to his talent rather than an indication that he was ready to make an impact on Sundays.
I would also say that it feels different thus far this season. Not only has he performed much better than he did in last year’s exhibition games, but he looks the part, too. He no longer looks like he could get blown over with a strong gust of wind.
Booker weighed only 245 lbs. last season. He still packed an impressive punch for his size profile, but that is as thin as anyone you will see playing the defensive end position, and he struggled against the run as a result. He was always going to need to put on weight, and he did that this offseason. Booker claims to have put on eight pounds in the offseason. The change is noticeable. While he’s still on the lighter side for a defensive end, his anchor appears much improved from last season.
It was awesome to see him grab the spotlight on last night’s Hard Knocks episode. Well, Dion Dawkins was technically the one spotlighted during the exchange, but it was cool to see him give Booker his flowers. Dawkins has been to four Pro Bowls. The 31-year-old has lined up against many of the league’s biggest names on some of the game’s biggest stages. Still, Booker’s playing style and physique stood out to him. Montez Sweat has one of the freakiest athletic profiles among NFL pass-rushers. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.41 seconds at six-foot-five, 260 lbs. at the Combine. Regardless, you could make a case (as Dawkins did) that Booker appears to be more explosive.
Sweat isn’t the only pass-rusher that Booker will be battling for playing time on the edge, as the Bears also signed Dayo Odeyingbo to a three-year, $48 million deal this offseason. That’s starter money, and he will get the first crack to play Robin opposite Sweat. However, he’s never been much of a pass-rusher and has only 16.5 career sacks through four years. The team seems to be banking on the 25-year-old rounding out that portion of his game in Chicago, but he might be nothing more than what he’s been to this point: a rock-solid run defender with limited pass-rushing chops.
Even if Odeyingbo does take his game to the next level in the Windy City, there’s an opportunity for all three of them to be on the field at the same time. At six-foot-five, 282 lbs., Odeyingbo has a much different size profile than Booker and Sweat. He’s big enough to play on the inside, and he could give the Bears’ pass-rush a potent boost on third down if all three players are firing on all cylinders. What was once thought to be a weakness could be a major strength.
As far as the answer to the title of this blog goes, it’s impossible to say how sustainable his hot start will be at this point.
Some players make a living by being preseason darlings, as it’s an easy way to stick out from the crowd.
Still, Booker’s an immensely talented player. He might never be a double-digit sack guy, but it’s not hard to envision a scenario where he carves out a niche role as a situational pass-rusher.
It will be exciting to see if the wild card turns into an ace.
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Categorized:Bears