After leading the NFL in sacks during the preseason, Austin Booker is in position to make his awaited regular-season debut for first-year Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen.
The Bears activated the defensive end from injured reserve Tuesday at the same time they placed rookie defensive lineman Shemar Turner on IR. Turner, a second-round draft pick, suffered a season-ending torn ACL in Sunday’s 30-16 loss in Baltimore.
Booker suffered a knee injury in the second preseason game, and although the Bears had listed him as a full participant in practice since starting his 21-day return-to-practice window, they slow-played bringing him back to the active roster.
Now Booker will be needed as the Bears lost not only Turner on Sunday, but also defensive end Dominique Robinson to a high ankle sprain that will sideline him multiple weeks. How the rotation comes together will be interesting. Robinson was earning more playing time, and Turner, who had moved outside from defensive tackle, also was beginning to settle in.
“He was a guy that we were really excited to finally get out on the field,” coach Ben Johnson said Monday of Turner. “Obviously we had high hopes for him, acquiring him with such a high draft pick (No. 62). I thought that when we made that transition to defensive end, it certainly coincided with our ability to stop the run at a higher clip. We thought he was part of the solution there for us.
“He looked somewhat natural to play that spot for a guy that hadn’t done a ton of it. So we were really excited to see what this next half of the season was going to look like as he continued to develop in that role. It’s a shame that we’re going to miss out on him. He has a physical presence and demeanor about him that you really appreciate. He plays the game the way we want really all three phases to play. He loves football, and I know he’ll attack this rehab the right way.”
The moves leave the roster at 52, meaning the Bears have one spot they can fill. Considering cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon are on IR and the status of Tyrique Stevenson’s shoulder injury is unknown, it’s possible they’ll look to add a defensive back.
They also could fill the spot later in the week by activating linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga from IR. The Bears started his return-to-practice window Oct. 16, giving them until Nov. 5 to decide on his status.
The Bears hosted seven players on a tryout Tuesday at Halas Hall: four offensive linemen, two linebackers and a defensive end. The offensive linemen were tackles Jackson Barton and Andrew Stueber, center Jake Hanson and guard Royce Newman. Linebackers D.J. Johnson and Rashad Weaver and defensive end Jeremiah Martin also participated.
NFL Media reported the Bears are expected to sign defensive end Jonathan Garvin, a seventh-round pick by the Green Bay Packers in 2020, to the practice squad. Garvin last played in a regular-season game in 2022.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/28/chicago-bears-austin-booker-activated-injured-reserve/