When considering the failures of the Chicago Bears' coaching staff last season, anything related to the defense naturally falls by the wayside. But it was odd that rookie fifth-round pick defensive end Austin Booker only played 286 defensive snaps over 17 games (a 26.5 percent snap share), especially as the season went off the rails during a 10-game losing streak.
But, on the other hand, why would a lame-duck coaching staff that knew it'd be gone place any priority on developing young players? Over the final eight games last season, Booker played more than 16 defensive snaps once.
Booker entered the 2024 draft with just two seasons of college playing experience, one at Minnesota and one at Kansas. He barely played for the Golden Gophers in 2022 (six games), then for the Jayhawks in 2023 he became a draft prospect with eight sacks and 12 tackles for loss.
As NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein noted, Booker had one of the lowest snap totals for a college career (505, according to Pro Football Focus) you'll ever see for a draftable prospect. Still, Zierlein had him projected as a third-round pick.
Booker, who will turn 23 deep into the coming season (Dec. 14), needs reps he couldn't get last season. Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen surely sees a raw talent he can work with, and lined up for a bigger role this year, Booker is a sneaky breakout candidate.
Bears beat writer sees a clear path for Austin Booker to break out
In a recent mailbag piece, Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic was asked a question about what to expect from Booker this year.
"When the Bears didn’t draft an edge rusher or sign someone other than Dayo Odeyingbo, that created a situation where Booker and Dominique Robinson could vie for a lot of snaps this season...."
"Booker has the desired length for the position (6-4 1/2) and had a productive rookie preseason (2 1/2 sacks, four QB hits). He had only 1 1/2 sacks and four QB hits in the regular season, playing a quarter of the team’s snaps on a defense that fell off in the second half. When you talk about “second-year leaps,” he’s the type of player who is primed for one in a scheme that should highlight his traits."
"If he exits camp as the No. 3 defensive end, that would be a win for the organization. That’d be a reasonable expectation, too, considering the Bears traded away a pick to select Booker and don’t offer a ton of competition at the position."
As Fishbain noted, the reasonable expectation should be for Booker to enter the season as the Bears' No. 3 defensive end behind Montez Sweat and free agent signing Dayo Odeyingbo. Fourth-year man Dominique Robinson may have something to say about that in training camp, as Fishbain also pointed to, but any real opportunity to be a factor may have already passed him by.
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The Bears would derail whatever level of breakout buzz there is around Booker if they sign a veteran edge rusher between now and Week 1. But for now, the path is wide open for him to be far more impactful, and there's ample room for optimism that opportunity will merge with raw talent in a way that notably benefits the Chicago pass rush this season (and beyond).