BREAKING: BEARS DOWNGRADE AUSTIN BOOKER — ROOKIE STAR STILL SIDELINED FOR MNF
The Chicago Bears won’t have promising defensive end Austin Booker back in the lineup against the Washington Commanders on Monday Night Football.
The Bears officially downgraded Booker from questionable to out ahead of Monday’s kickoff against the Commanders, delaying the 2024 fifth-round pick’s return to the lineup for another week and ensuring he will miss his fifth consecutive game.
Booker seemed likely to receive activation back to the 53-man roster before kickoff after making it through the entire week of practice as a full participant. The Bears had listed him as questionable on Saturday when they released their final injury report, but they ultimately decided to give him another week to recover after more than a month away.
The Bears also downgraded veteran running back Travis Homer — whom they had also designated for return from IR this week — from questionable to out before kickoff. He had also logged a full week of practice for the Bears without limitations coming off his calf injury. But like Booker, the Bears will give him another week to get his body right.
Additionally, the Bears elevated kicker Jake Moody and defensive tackle Jonathan Ford from the practice squad to their game-day roster for Monday Night Football in Week 6.
The Bears (2-2) will kick off against the Commanders (3-2) at 8:15 p.m. ET tonight.
Austin Booker Could Provide ‘Impact’ When He Returns
The Bears have struggled to rush the passer effectively through their first four games of the 2025 season despite making expensive upgrades to their line during the offseason.
According to ESPN Analytics, the Bears had the worst pass-rush win rate (26%) in the league coming into Week 6’s games. They are also tied with the Carolina Panthers for the fewest sacks (five) heading into Monday night’s game; although, the Panthers are stuck at five sacks after playing six games, whereas the Bears have only played four.
Even still, it hasn’t been pretty for the Bears, who count three of their defensive linemen among their 12 highest-paid players in 2025, including defensive end Montez Sweat — who carries a team-high $25.08 million cap hit this season, according to Over the Cap.
The hope is that Booker’s return — when it happens in the coming weeks — can help spark more efficiency from the pass rushers. Booker had tallied four sacks in less than two full preseason games in August before he injured his knee in the Bears‘ second exhibition game, earning him a short stint on IR.
“He demonstrated that in training camp,” Allen said this week of Booker’s pass-rushing ability. “He demonstrated it in preseason games, he demonstrated it in joint practices. Now, we’ve just got to get him to a healthy enough spot where he can get out there and play games, and then we’ll be able to see what he can do. I’ve seen signs that say he can impact the game, in particular from a pass rush standpoint.”
Bears Won’t Have Veteran DT Grady Jarrett for ‘MNF’
In addition to holding off on Booker’s return, the Bears also won’t have one of their top veteran starters for their defensive interior available for Monday’s prime-time game.
Bears veteran defensive tackle Grady Jarrett will not play against the Commanders, as the team ruled him out on their final injury report with a knee injury that has caused him problems for several weeks now. Jarrett — who signed a three-year, $42.75 million contract with the Bears in free agency — will now miss his second consecutive game.
The Bears will expectedly lean more on second-round rookie Shemar Turner without Jarrett available. To keep their line fresh and potentially create matchup problems, the Bears might consider kicking edge rusher Dayo Odeyingbo inside, as they indicated he could do when they signed him, but they would need someone to cover him on the edge.
Eagles’ $128 Million Former No. 2 Overall Pick Poised to Make NFL History
This isn’t probably the kind of NFL history Carson Wentz thought his career would lead him to when the Philadelphia Eagles selected him at No. 2 overall in the 2016 NFL draft.
Instead, Wentz could make a totally different type of NFL history if he starts for the Minnesota Vikings against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 3, becoming the first quarterback to start for 6 different teams in 6 consecutive seasons.
Wentz signed a 1-year, $1.42 million contract with the Vikings on August 24 and is in line to start after 2024 first round pick J.J. McCarthy sprained his ankle in a Week 2 loss to the Atlanta Falcons and is projected to be out 2-4 weeks.
Wentz started 12 games for the Eagles in 2020, 17 games for the Indianapolis Colts in 2021, 7 games for the Washington Commanders in 2022, 1 game for the Los Angeles Rams in 2023 and 1 games for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2024.
“If he starts for the Vikings this weekend, Carson Wentz would become the first quarterback in NFL history to start at least one game for six different teams in six consecutive seasons,” ESPN’s Bill Barnwell wrote on his official X account on September 15.
Wentz Once Seemed On Verge Of Being Superstar
Wentz played his first 5 seasons for the Eagles before he was benched in favor of current Eagles starter and reigning Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts late in the 2020 season.
It’s kind of wild to think Wentz, who was a plug and play starter as a rookie in Philadelphia, was one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks in just his second season in 2017. That year, he was not only named NFL All-Pro but selected to the Pro Bowl and won a Super Bowl title.
The problem? Wentz tore his ACL in Week 14, backup Nick Foles took over and led the Eagles to the first Super Bowl win in franchise history — including winning Super Bowl LII MVP honors in an upset of the New England Patriots.
Wentz’s bigger problem in 2017 wasn’t his injury. It was his attitude.
When Wentz expressed displeasure to his teammates during their run to the Super Bowl that the Eagles were winning without him — which led to a physical confrontation with a teammate who heard what he was saying and called him out.
The Eagles still signed Wentz to a 4-year, $128 million contract extension before the 2019 season only to trade him to the Colts in February 2021 in exchange for a 2021 third round pick and 2022 first round pick.
Wentz Has Been One Of NFL’s Worst Quarterbacks
Wentz was one win away from leading the Colts to the playoffs but lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2021 regular season finale — a loss that not only saw his team eliminated but disgusted owner Jim Irsay so much he traded Wentz to the Commanders before the 2022 season.
With the Commanders, Wentz was benched for Taylor Heinicke after a finger injury then released following the season. He played on a 1-year contract for the Rams in 2023 and a 1-year contact for the Chiefs in 2024.
Through 10 NFL seasons, Wentz has approximately $134.1 million in career earnings.
