Bears edge rusher out of Kansas who returned from a preseason knee injury to carve out a rotational pass-rush role in 2025.
Austin Booker came to Chicago as a fifth-round developmental edge with length and upside. A preseason knee injury cost him the start of his second season, but he was back on the field by Week 9 and finished as a useful rotational rusher. He profiles as depth behind Montez Sweat and Dayo Odeyingbo as the Bears keep building their front.
Path to the league
Booker played his college ball at Kansas after transferring from Minnesota. Chicago traded a 2025 fourth-round pick to Buffalo to move up into the fifth round of the 2024 draft and took him 144th overall, then signed him to a four-year rookie deal.
2025 season
Booker opened the year on injured reserve with a knee injury suffered in the preseason and was activated on October 28 ahead of the Week 9 game against Cincinnati. Per PFF he logged a 61.8 overall defensive grade and generated 29 total pressures, including five sacks, working in the edge rotation behind the team's starters.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Austin Booker
- ESPN: Austin Booker player page
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Defense
10 games played▶Defense · career
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | SACK | INT | FF | FR | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | bears | 3 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | bears | 10 | 35 | 19 | 4.5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 2024 | bears | 17 | 21 | 14 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Defensive End
- Group
- defense
- College
- Kansas
- Hometown
- Greenwood, IN, USA
- Age
- 23
- Status
- active
