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Defensive end Austin Booker of the Chicago Bears.

The Chicago Bears have faced numerous calls from around the NFL media landscape to add more talent off the edge of the defense this offseason. But with training camp just a handful of weeks away, team brass seems comfortable with the players it has in the position group — and Austin Booker might be the reason why.

Dan Pizzuto appeared on the Wednesday, June 10 episode of “The Mina Kimes Show featuring Lenny,” during which he dubbed Booker as Chicago’s X-factor heading into the 2026 campaign.

The Bears were 29th in pressure rate last season with the ninth-highest blitz rate, so not a lot going on in the pass-rush category there. Montez Sweat had 28.9 percent of the Bears’ pressures. … The next-highest was Gervon Dexter at 20.3 [percent].

Booker hurt his knee in the second week of the preseason and missed the first seven games of the season. But when he was on the field, he actually accounted for 29 percent of Chicago’s pressures [and] 27.3 percent of the QB hits, and Sweat was second for both of those. So I think the Bears are really banking on [Booker] to step up.

Austin Booker Potential Lynchpin to Bears’ Success

GettyChicago Bears defensive end Austin Booker sacks Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love.

The Bears bolstered Pizzuto’s position on Booker with their actions, or lack thereof, starting during free agency in March and running through the draft in April.

Kimes asserted her belief that Chicago actually intended to add to its pass rush during the draft, but the board simply didn’t fall its way. As such, the Bears went safety in Round 1, center in Round 2 and then tight end and wide receiver in Round 3 before swinging back around to the defense with picks at cornerback in Round 4, linebacker in Round 5 and defensive tackle in Round 6.

That the Bears might field an above-average defense this season with a notably improved pass rush adds more credence to Pizzuto’s case that Booker is not just a player upon whom the team will heavily rely, but that he’s a potential lynchpin for Chicago’s continued trajectory of success in the upcoming year.

“If you told me that Booker has double-digit sacks [in 2026], then I think this is probably a good defense. Because the secondary, I think, could be awesome,” Kimes said. “This is a defense that was very turnover-dependent last season. They’re a prime regression candidate because of that, unless they can get more pass-rush production from one of these players.”

Bears Can Also Look for Pass-Rush Help From Dayo Odeyingbo Following Injury

GettyDefensive end Dayo Odeyingbo of the Chicago Bears.

Booker is one internal source of potential pass-rush productivity for Chicago in 2026, while fellow defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo is another.

The Bears paid Odeyingbo $48 million over three years to join the team ahead of the 2025 campaign. However, he tallied just one sack in eight games before tearing his Achilles in Week 9.

Odeyingbo turns just 27 years old in September and isn’t a viable trade option because of the uncertainty surrounding his injury/rehabilitation process. Chicago can’t afford to cut him this offseason either based on his contract structure.

Thus, the Bears have no recourse except to get Odeyingbo healthy and hope that he can prove himself closer to the productive player they thought he would be when spending significantly to get him into the locker room two offseasons past.