Bears’ defense finally receives the update fans have been waiting for, and a major boost to the pass rush is coming sooner than later

The Chicago Bears were back in the building on Tuesday after getting some much-needed time off during the bye week and still have almost a week until the next game against the Washington Commanders on October 13th.

The bye week came at the right time for more than one reason. For starters, the Bears had a lot of things to clean up in all three areas including pre-snap penalties on offense and a struggling run game on both sides of the ball.

The Bears were also banged up with injuries to key starters on both sides of the ball, so having an extended break will be huge for getting those players back on the field. And, while talking to the media on Tuesday, head coach Ben Johnson shared one update fans have been waiting on.

Austin Booker is one step closer to returning from the injured reserve

Second-year defensive end Austin Booker was placed on the injured reserve prior to the regular season after suffering a knee injury that cut an impressive preseason short. Booker suffered the injury during the second preseason game against the Buffalo Bills and prior to the injury had five sacks during the first two preseason games.

After missing each of the first four games, the Bears have opened the 21-day practice window for Booker to start working his way back onto the field.

It's not a guarantee that Booker will be on the field on Monday night against the Commanders, but sooner or later the young pass rusher will be back in the fold and help boost a struggling pass rush.

“You felt the pass rush there, particularly in the game setting,” Johnson said of Booker on Tuesday. “I saw it in practice and the joint practices as well. He was a guy that was able to affect the quarterback... That’s really where I saw Booker making the biggest impact in the preseason. We’ll have to see where he is now back on the practice field.”

Through four weeks, the Bears have five different players who have recorded a sack, but all five players have just one sack a piece. No one on the team has recorded multiple sacks yet this season. And with just five sacks as a defense, the Bears are tied with the Carolina Panthers for the fewest sacks in the NFL this season.