Chicago Bears DE Austin Booker’s change in physical appearance turns heads

Chicago Bears defensive end Austin Booker (94) against the Arizona Cardinals.

Chicago Bears DE Austin Booker’s change in physical appearance turns heads

Originally posted on ChiCitySports | By Paolo Songco | Last updated May 1, 2026 1:19 PM ET

Austin Booker is coming off a season where injuries limited him to 12 combined regular-season and playoff games. He is looking to put the 2025 campaign in his rearview mirror and is focused on putting in work this offseason.

The defensive end still produced solid numbers. He registered 35 combined tackles, including 19 solo efforts, and one forced fumble. Booker was at the center of an incident involving Jordan Love. His hit forced the Green Bay Packers quarterback to miss two games due to a concussion. The league fined the former Kansas Jayhawks star for unnecessary roughness.

Booker is entering the third year of his four-year contract signed in May 2024. The Bears will rely on his toughness to help the team achieve a deeper playoff run.

Chicago Bears fans react to Austin Booker adding serious muscle

NFL media personality Dov Kleiman posted two photos of Booker on X on Wednesday. The image showed him wearing a tank top on the left, highlighting his more defined arm muscles. The picture on the right featured the edge rusher in his Bears uniform from last season. Fans dropped their reactions in the comments section.

Scary: Bears star DE Austin Booker put on a serious amount of muscle this offseason and is in the best shape of his life.

Booker is one of the scariest young players in the NFL.

Chicago will be a PROBLEM next season pic.twitter.com/v9wYDJlPRe

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) April 28, 2026

Booker’s change in his physical appearance turned heads online.

“Jordan Love is NOT going to like this at all. He fears this guy,” a fan said.

“Ive always said he would become a beast. Unmatched work ethic and already great pass rush foundation,” another commented.

“Thought this was Myles Garrett for a sec,” a reaction read.

“Homeboy about to be a demon next szn ” a user wrote.

“Austin Booker putting on serious muscle this offseason is impressive. He’s already looking like one of the scariest young edge rushers in the NFL. Bears defense is going to be a problem next season ” posted another.

“Offseason transformation like that usually means trouble for the league Bears might actually be building something serious ,” a comment read.

In 2025, Booker still recorded 4.5 sacks despite not appearing in all of Chicago’s games. With his added muscle, next season could be his breakout year and his chance to lead the team’s D-line.

This article first appeared on ChiCitySports and was syndicated with permission.

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