Bears Announce Key Roster Addition at Edge Rusher for Week 9
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Bears head coach Ben Johnson.
The Chicago Bears are getting a boost to their edge rusher group on Tuesday as they start preparing for Week 9’s road matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Bears head coach Ben Johnson announced Monday that the team will activate second-year defensive Austin Booker from the injured reserve list before his 21-day practice window closes on Tuesday, clearing the way for him to make his 2025 debut in Week 9.
Booker injured his knee on a special teams play in the Bears’ second preseason game and landed on injured reserve in August with a return designation during the 53-man roster cutdown, costing him the first four games. He was designated for return after the bye week on October 7 and has since participated fully in every Bears practice, though.
The Bears are optimistic that Booker, a 2024 fifth-round pick, can help improve their struggling pass rush. He recorded four sacks in less than two full games of preseason action for the Bears in August, which led the league at the time of his knee injury. If he can bounce back and translate that success to the regular season, the sky’s the limit.
The Bears (4-3) will face the Bengals (3-5) on the road at 1 p.m. ET next Sunday.
Update: The Bears officially activated Booker to the 53-man roster on Tuesday.
Austin Booker Likely to Replace Shermar Turner on Roster
The Bears must make a corresponding roster deduction to clear space for Booker when they activate him to the 53-man roster on Tuesday. Unfortunately, a new and serious injury to their defensive line presents a clear candidate to relinquish his roster spot.
Johnson also confirmed Monday that second-round rookie defensive end Shemar Turner tore his ACL in Sunday’s loss to the Baltimore Ravens and will miss the rest of the 2025 season. While it is unclear what Turner’s timeline is in terms of surgery and starting his rehabilitation, the logical next step for the Bears is to place him on IR.
Turner went down in evident pain in the second quarter against the Ravens and, despite walking off the field under his own power, rode the cart into the locker room after a trip into the medical tent on the sideline. The team ruled him out shortly thereafter.
The Bears also lost another defensive end, Dominique Robinson, to a high-ankle sprain in Week 8’s loss to the Ravens. Johnson said Monday that he will miss “a few weeks” as he recovers, leaving them shorthanded at the position despite Booker’s return.
Could that drive them to make a bigger play in the next week?
Will Bears Add DL Help at the NFL Trade Deadline?
The Bears have struggled to rush the passer on defense through their first seven games of the 2025 season. They have the eighth-fewest sacks (14) in the league and, per ESPN Analytics, entered Week 8 with the third-worst pass-rush win rate (30%) as a team.
That’s an ugly trend in need of reversal, and even Booker’s return might not do enough.
Are the Bears in a position to get more help before the NFL trade deadline, though?
The Bears are likely out of the mix on expensive or wanting-to-get-paid edge rushers. They are heavily invested in Montez Sweat, Dayo Odeyingbo and Grady Jarrett for their defensive line and cannot do much to alleviate that situation until the 2026 offseason. Even if they had the money, four big contracts up front leave other positions lacking.
The Bears could, however, explore short-term rentals or inexpensive veterans. Former first-round pick Will McDonald IV could be a name to watch if the New York Jets start selling off their roster. He would cost less than $4 million for the rest of 2025 and is due to carry a cap hit of only about $5.19 million in 2026, which is more than affordable.
The Bears must finalize all trades this season before 4 p.m. ET on November 4.
Cowboys Trade for Myles Garrett Just Got a Lot More Likely After New Report
A notable NFL insider has offered up a detailed explanation for why the Dallas Cowboys making a blockbuster trade for Myles Garrett in the next week is very realistic.
After the Cleveland Browns gave superstar pass rusher Myles Garrett a four-year extension worth $160 million earlier this year, it seemed even more likely that the six-time Pro Bowler would actually finish his career in Cleveland. Then Week 8 happened.
On Sunday, Garrett had a game of a lifetime as he posted five sacks against the New England Patriots. However, it meant nothing as the Browns were still blown out by a score of 32-13. Garrett was seen enraged on the sidelines late in the game, and speculation grew louder that he could push for an exit like he reportedly did earlier this year.
However, many around the game believe his massive contract would make a trade very difficult. But, according to ESPN NFL insider Dan Graziano, that may not necessarily be the case. He admits that trading Garrett now would mean a big dead cap hit to Cleveland in the years ahead. But various teams have taken on bigger cap hits while getting nothing in return.
“That’s a lot of dead money, but it’s not even close to the record,” Graziano writes. “The Broncos took on about $80 million when they cut Russell Wilson last year, and they made the playoffs last season and look poised to do so again. The Buccaneers are still carrying Tom Brady’s dead money and they won their division every season. We see teams do this more and more as the salary cap continues to rise significantly each year.”
Cowboys could create perfect draft scenario for Browns in Myles Garrett trade
Along with that, Graziano added that there are two other key factors in a potential trade before the Nov. 4 NFL trade deadline. First, Garrett has to want it. Considering the Browns’ long-term outlook and where he would go in the deal, waiving his no-trade clause shouldn’t be a big problem. But Cleveland also must get an offer that makes it worth taking on all that dead money.
Well, the Cowboys are one of the few teams that can make the sort of offer the Browns would want, and that is two first-round picks in April, according to Graziano. After the Micah Parsons trade, they will have two first-rounders in 2026, and following his exit, they still have a desperate need for pass-rushing help this season and beyond.
- Myles Garrett stats: 8 games, 10 sacks, 31 tackles, 15 tackles for loss
“Cleveland would be looking at the possibility of having four first-round selections in the 2026 draft,” Graziano wrote. “The Browns would be able to completely control Round 1 and come out of it with whichever quarterback they wanted. The acquiring team would have to pay Garrett a fairly reasonable $31.5 million in fully guaranteed money in 2026 and about $30.5 million in 2027.”
Based on those details, it sure seems like a blockbuster Myles Garrett trade for the Dallas Cowboys is there for the taking if the star pass rusher really wants out. Especially since the Browns could have a franchise-changing draft next year from what they could get in the deal.
