With all the injuries that have piled up for the Chicago Bears before and during the regular season, the team appears to be getting healthy at the right time.
During his press conference on Tuesday, Bears head coach Ben Johnson told the media that the team will be opening the 21-day practice window for defensive end Austin Booker and running back Travis Homer. With the practice window open, the team has 21 days to activate Booker and Homer.
Homer was placed on IR after suffering a calf injury in the preseason that left him with limited snaps. Booker had a knee injury that held him out of the last preseason game after putting up four sacks in the first two games.
Massive upgrade coming for the Bears' defense
There has been a lot of talk about the struggles of the Bears' rush defense, as they are ranked 31st in the league, allowing 164.5 yards per game. This has a lot to do with what has happened to Grady Jarrett and T.J. Edwards as they deal with their injuries.
Even the pass rush has not been there for the Bears as consistently as they would like. They are tied for last in sacks with five on the season.
Booker brings in some much-needed depth to the Bears that wasn't there through the first four weeks of the season. He can help with the pass rush while supporting the defense, particularly in stopping the run.
The Bears need to see more out of Booker during the regular season, as he has been more known for being a standout in the preseason, but not in the regular season. He's got to be able to replicate what he did in August whenever he comes back.
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It's too early to tell when Booker and Homer will be active, but it's good news for the Bears coming out of the bye week.