Former Kansas Star Austin Booker Dominates in Bears' Preseason Opener

The hype has been constantly buzzing around the Chicago Bears since the team hired former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as their head coach back in January.

Johnson has arguably been the best offensive play-caller in the NFL over the last two seasons, and with a former No. 1 overall pick at quarterback in Caleb Williams, expectations are high for the Bears' offense.

And that's saying something, especially for an organization that has been a hot mess offensively for a long, long time. But after the Bears first preseason game on Sunday, the buzz quickly shifted away from Williams and Johnson to second-year defensive lineman Austin Booker.

That's right. Austin Booker. The Miami Dolphins' offensive line had no answers for Chicago's fifth-round pick from a year ago. Booker led the entire NFL in Week 1 of the preseason with three sacks and also forced a sack and made six tackles.

You name it, Booker did it on Sunday. Stuff the run, turn the corner, bull-rush the offensive tackle, hit the quarterback, jar the ball out, etc. He did it.

Chicago's been known for producing great defensive lineman over the years — Dan Hampton, Steve McMichael, Tommie Harris, Richard Dent, Leonard Floyd, etc.

We're in no way, shape, or form saying Booker is on the same path as those guys, but it's hard not to think what Booker could become after a preseason game for the ages on Sunday.

Booker played in all 17 games for the Bears last year, recording 21 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and three stuffs, and maybe Booker is on his way to a breakout 2025 campaign.

He still has yet to start an NFL game, but if he can replicate what he did on Sunday in the final two games of the preseason, it's just a matter of time before the Kansas Jayhawk cracks the starting rotation.

Don't forget Booker was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and First Team All-Big 12 after recording 40 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, eight sacks, and two forced fumbles in his only season at Kansas back in 2023. Booker has an impressive college tape, and his skill set should translate to the NFL.

Booker is a young, up-and-coming player who has a lot of tools to be a future menace on the defensive side of the ball.

Obviously, let's see what he does when it actually counts in the regular season, yet there's no denying Booker has a boatload of potential.

Booker wasn't the only Jayhawk to play on Sunday. Booker's teammate at Kansas, Luke Grimm, made his NFL preseason debut on Sunday after not suiting up in the Los Angeles Chargers' first preseason game last week.

Grimm didn't catch a pass but did return a punt for seven yards in LA's 27-13 win over the New Orleans Saints.