The Chicago Bears are getting a boost to their edge rusher group on Tuesday as they start preparing for Week 9’s road matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Bears head coach Ben Johnson announced Monday that the team will activate second-year defensive Austin Booker from the injured reserve list before his 21-day practice window closes on Tuesday, clearing the way for him to make his 2025 debut in Week 9.
Booker injured his knee on a special teams play in the Bears’ second preseason game and landed on injured reserve in August with a return designation during the 53-man roster cutdown, costing him the first four games. He was designated for return after the bye week on October 7 and has since participated fully in every Bears practice, though.
The Bears are optimistic that Booker, a 2024 fifth-round pick, can help improve their struggling pass rush. He recorded four sacks in less than two full games of preseason action for the Bears in August, which led the league at the time of his knee injury. If he can bounce back and translate that success to the regular season, the sky’s the limit.
The Bears (4-3) will face the Bengals (3-5) on the road at 1 p.m. ET next Sunday.
Austin Booker Likely to Replace Shermar Turner on Roster
The Bears must make a corresponding roster deduction to clear space for Booker when they activate him to the 53-man roster on Tuesday. Unfortunately, a new and serious injury to their defensive line presents a clear candidate to relinquish his roster spot.
Johnson also confirmed Monday that second-round rookie defensive end Shemar Turner tore his ACL in Sunday’s loss to the Baltimore Ravens and will miss the rest of the 2025 season. While it is unclear what Turner’s timeline is in terms of surgery and starting his rehabilitation, the logical next step for the Bears is to place him on IR.
Turner went down in evident pain in the second quarter against the Ravens and, despite walking off the field under his own power, rode the cart into the locker room after a trip into the medical tent on the sideline. The team ruled him out shortly thereafter.
The Bears also lost another defensive end, Dominique Robinson, to a high-ankle sprain in Week 8’s loss to the Ravens. Johnson said Monday that he will miss “a few weeks” as he recovers, leaving them shorthanded at the position despite Booker’s return.
Could that drive them to make a bigger play in the next week?
Will Bears Add DL Help at the NFL Trade Deadline?
The Bears have struggled to rush the passer on defense through their first seven games of the 2025 season. They have the eighth-fewest sacks (14) in the league and, per ESPN Analytics, entered Week 8 with the third-worst pass-rush win rate (30%) as a team.
That’s an ugly trend in need of reversal, and even Booker’s return might not do enough.
Are the Bears in a position to get more help before the NFL trade deadline, though?
The Bears are likely out of the mix on expensive or wanting-to-get-paid edge rushers. They are heavily invested in Montez Sweat, Dayo Odeyingbo and Grady Jarrett for their defensive line and cannot do much to alleviate that situation until the 2026 offseason. Even if they had the money, four big contracts up front leave other positions lacking.
The Bears could, however, explore short-term rentals or inexpensive veterans. Former first-round pick Will McDonald IV could be a name to watch if the New York Jets start selling off their roster. He would cost less than $4 million for the rest of 2025 and is due to carry a cap hit of only about $5.19 million in 2026, which is more than affordable.
The Bears must finalize all trades this season before 4 p.m. ET on November 4.
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