In all the talk surrounding the Bears this offseason, position battles have not received much attention.
Most of the time, the roster is predetermined. That’s definitely not a negative thing; in fact, it speaks volumes about how far this squad has progressed over the last two or three years to have players good enough to enjoy job security at the majority of positions on the field.
However, it does make for a dull summer of conversation. Usually at this point, everyone is putting out roster battles to watch for the summer and we’re all arguing over CB3’s OTA performance or some other ridiculous stuff.
The Bears’ edge rusher position is one of the few areas of contention on the squad this season. The irony is that, if nothing else, everyone in that room is likely to make the cut—at least not because of the lacklustre depth. The arrangement of the depth chart is still intriguing, though! Ish. When discussing the edge, the good people at Windy City Gridiron approached it from this perspective, believing that a (moderately) expensive veteran could lose his position to a rookie.
Is a starter for the Bears worth $21 million already in risk of losing his job?
Regarding the notion that rookie edge rusher Austin Booker would rob DeMarcus Walker of snaps, WCG had the following to say:
Booker, whom the Bears acquired in Round 5 of this year’s draft for a 2025 fourth-round pick, is currently Walker’s major rival. Despite having only two total tackles in his collegiate career before to 2023, he had a breakout season for Kansas last season, recording 8.0 sacks and 12.0 tackles for a loss. He’s a long, tool-loving edge rusher with a strong motor and quick first step. Booker’s weakness is that he lacks experience as a pass-rusher and is a raw processor, which could limit his initial value in Year 1. Although Booker has the skills to start in the NFL, he may need to overcome a learning curve before he can do so.
Thus, it seems that they don’t anticipate having a lot of competition this season. Walker was not very productive with the Bears last season, appearing in 17 games and recording 3.5 sacks, after cashing in with the team after a career-high seven-sack season. Those stats should be easy to beat if Booker can make his way onto the pitch.
Be the first to comment