Reason Bears didn’t activate Austin Booker in Week 7 is seriously troubling

A troubling report on Chicago Bears DE Austin Booker

Booker, who led the Bears in sacks during the preseason, has not played a snap this season, beginning the campaign on the reserve list for a knee injury he suffered in August.

Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune provided a troubling update on the second-year pass rusher. The Bears do not believe Booker is “where he needs to be” in Week 7 despite having been a full participant at practice.

“Booker has been listed as a full participant in practice for two weeks, but obviously the team doesn’t believe he’s quite where he needs to be to rejoin the mix for a pass rush looking for a spark,” Biggs wrote.

Chicago has just eight sacks on the season, so one wonders how bad Booker looks to the coaching staff, where they can’t rotate him in for snaps against a bad New Orleans Saints team.

A big decision upcoming for the Bears

Biggs hints that Chicago’s coaching staff has a big decision looming on Booker next week.

“Although the practice window extends just beyond the Oct. 26 game in Baltimore against the Ravens, the Bears effectively have three practices next week to make a determination on what they want to do with Booker,” Biggs wrote. “If they do not activate him to the 53-man roster, he will spend the remainder of the season on IR.”

Biggs doesn’t think there’s reason to be overly alarmed, but there’s a chance Booker isn’t progressing as defensive coordinator Dennis Allen hoped.

The Bears chose not to be aggressive in adding pass-rushing help before Week 1, wanting to wait for a healthy Booker to return and develop this season.

That bet has not been good for the defense, and one has to wonder if general manager Ryan Poles will look to make a trade for a defensive end before the deadline on Nov. 4.