There was so much positivity coming out of the weekend for the Chicago Bears. They dominated the Buffalo Bills 38-0, marking their first preseason shutout since 1999 and their most lopsided victory since 1994. Caleb Williams looked great in his two drives with the starting offense. The Bears ran the ball for 171 yards and three touchdowns. The defense smothered everything Buffalo tried. Not much happened to dampen the mood. Unfortunately, it always seems like there’s a bitter aftertaste with victories like this.
For the Bears, it came on the injury front. The most notable was cornerback Terell Smith, who left the game on a cart with what looked like a scary knee injury. However, that wasn’t the most alarming moment for the team, at least not from the broader perspective. That came when Austin Booker (knee) and Dominique Robinson (ankle) left the game with injuries and didn’t return. Remember, these two were positioned as the primary backup defensive ends to Montez Sweat and Dayo Odeyingbo.
If those injuries are serious, the depth situation that was already questionable for the Bears becomes a legitimate crisis.
#Bears rule DE Austin Booker out for the remainder of the game. He has a knee injury.
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) August 18, 2025
#Bears say DE Dominique Robinson has an ankle injury. He's doubtful to return.
— Zack Pearson (@Zack_Pearson) August 18, 2025
The Chicago Bears don’t have many in-house options.
They signed veteran Tanoh Kpassagnon earlier in training camp. He hasn’t stood out much. Daniel Hardy has been active, but doesn’t possess the size that defensive coordinator Dennis Allen usually prefers. It isn’t a great situation. The Chicago Bears were really banking on Booker becoming their primary rotational rusher while Robinson and maybe Kpassagnon serve as backups. It is possible the team will shift rookie Shemar Turner to the defensive end. He played there in college before moving to defensive tackle last year. Outside of that, they may have to dabble in the free agent market again. Some notable names are still available, but all of them might be out of the Bears’ preferred price range. Medical examinations will tell the story on how serious this is.
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