The Chicago Bears open the 2024 season on Sunday with a home game against the Tennessee Titans at Soldier Field.
It will mark the first game of Caleb Williams' rookie season. It goes without saying that all eyes will be on the Bears' starting quarterback on Sunday. Williams is the most important player on the Bears' roster and if he has success, that will set the team in the right direction for multiple seasons ahead.
But, there is another rookie that Bears fans must keep an eye on during the game against the Titans on Sunday.
No, it's not Rome Odunze.
It's fifth-round pass rusher Austin Booker. Booker has the potential to be one of the steals of the 2024 NFL Draft and had an impressive preseason in which he demonstrated the ability to consistently put pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Many feel Booker would have been a borderline first-round pick if he played another season in college, and his development this season will be important for the Bears' defensive line.
Austin Booker is one of the most important players on the Bears' roster this season.
While the Bears have maintained throughout Training Camp and preseason that they are content with the depth they have along the defensive line, their actions in recent weeks would suggest otherwise. The Bears had a failed attempt to trade for Matthew Judon and followed that up with separate deals for Darrell Taylor and Chris Williams. Those aren't actions a team takes if they are comfortable with the state of their defensive line.
There is no question that Montez Sweat is the playmaker on the Bears' defensive line but if the 2024 season is going to be one where the team reaches the playoffs, they must find a pass rush from players other than Sweat. That is where Bookers comes into play, who figures to open the season on Sunday as a rotation player. If Booker can transfer the pass-rush success he had in the preseason into being a consistent disruptor during the regular season, he could prove to be the difference maker that many thought he would have been if he entered the NFL Draft in 2025.