CINCINNATI, OHIO - NOVEMBER 02: Joe Flacco #16 of the Cincinnati Bengals is sacked by Austin Booker #94 of the Chicago Bears during the fourth quarter in the game at Paycor Stadium on November 02, 2025 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
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Austin Booker played football at a basketball school, which might have contributed to him being the 144th player picked in the 2024 draft. But the edge rusher from Kansas University is looking like one of the best values in the NFL.
His return from Injured Reserve status last Sunday played a role in the Bears’ strategy at the trade deadline. General Manager Ryan Poles stuck to his principles by declining to sacrifice major draft capital to upgrade a defense built more around depth than household names.
While Poles reportedly kicked the tires on available edge rushers like Miami’s Jaelan Phillips — who cost Philadelphia a third-round pick — he settled on adding Joe Tryon-Shoyinka from Cleveland through the swap of a sixth-round pick for a seventh-rounder.
The Bears are currently set to have eight picks in the 2026 draft, including their own picks in the first three rounds and a compensatory pick to be determined by the NFL in March. They have made 34 picks in Poles’ first four drafts, including 14 in the first three rounds. That’s how you build a roster, even given the hit-and-miss nature of the draft.
With free agent addition Dayo Odeyingbo suffering a torn Achilles tendon in Sunday’s 47-42 victory in Cincinnati, Poles was under pressure to upgrade a pass rush that had only recently started to turn up the heat. The Bears rank 19th in the league with an average of 2.1 sacks per game but have generated nine in the last three weeks.
While Booker carries a cap hit of only $859,586 in the second season of his four-year rookie deal, he figures to more than carry his share of the load on a defensive line that is built around Montez Sweat, Grady Jarrett and Andrew Billings.
Poles was expecting Booker to emerge this season after spending his rookie year behind DeMarcus Walker and Darrell Taylor, who were off-loaded from the roster after the tumultuous 5-12 season. Booker came off the bench to play in 27 percent of defensive snaps, earning a pedestrian 52.5 grade from Pro Football Focus.
But his specialty is pressuring passers — he had eight sacks for the Kansas team that ended the school’s streak of 14 consecutive losing seasons — and that showed in his third-down work. Booker had 1 1/2 sacks and 3 quarterback knockdowns.
Following off-season work under Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, Booker was a force with three sacks in the opening preseason game against Miami. He had another sack against Buffalo in the second game but went down with a knee injury playing special teams. That kept him out until last Sunday, when he was arguably the best among 21 defensive players used in the chaotic victory over the Bengals.
Booker earned a 90.0 grade from PFF for the game, including a pass rush grade of 85.8. That’s the 11th best mark among 187 edge rushers this season, just ahead of the Rams’ Jared Verse, who was picked in the first round of the 2025 draft.
Look for Tryon-Shoyinka and Booker to split the responsibility that was given Odeyingbo after Poles signed him to three-year, $48 million contract that can voided after 2026. He hasn’t had the impact that was envisioned, with only one sack and a PFF grade of 59.0, which ranks 101st of 119 qualifying edge rushers.
Tryon-Shoyinka, selected by Tampa Bay with the 32nd pick of the 2021 draft, comes to Chicago attempting to resurrect his career. The Bucs declined his fifth-year option and he found limited interest on the free-agent market, signing a one-year, 4.755 million deal with Cleveland. He was stuck behind Myles Garrett, Alex Wright and Isaiah McGuire, playing mostly on special teams.
This isn’t the splashy acquisition that fans and talk radio hosts coveted. But Poles — and probably also Allen — trusts Booker to deliver an impact that goes beyond his low profile. It’s easy to see why.