BREAKING NEWS: Is it possible that a starter for the Bears for $21 million may be facing job loss already?
Position battles have not accounted for a large portion of the discourse around the Bears this offseason. The roster is mostly predetermined for the most part. That’s definitely not a bad thing; in fact, the fact that this squad has improved over the last two or three years is demonstrated by the fact that there are players good enough to have job security at the majority of positions on the field.
However, it does make for a dull summer of conversation. Usually at this point, everyone is putting out roster battles to watch for the summer and we’re all arguing over CB3’s OTA performance or some other ridiculous stuff.
The Bears’ edge rusher position is one of the few areas of contention on the squad this season. The irony is that, if nothing else, everyone in that room is likely to make the cut—at least not because of the lackluster depth. The arrangement of the depth chart is still intriguing, though! Ish. When discussing the edge, the good people at Windy City Gridiron approached it from this perspective, believing that a (moderately) expensive veteran could lose his position to a rookie.
Is a starting quarterback for the Bears worth $21 million already in jeopardy?
Booker, whom the Bears acquired in Round 5 of this year’s draft for a 2025 fourth-round pick, is currently Walker’s major rival. Despite having only two total tackles in his collegiate career before to 2023, he had a breakout season for Kansas last season, recording 8.0 sacks and 12.0 tackles for a loss. He’s a long, tool-loving edge rusher with a strong motor and quick first step. Booker’s weakness is that he lacks experience as a pass-rusher and is a raw processor, which could limit his initial value in Year 1. Although Booker has the skills to start in the NFL, he may need to overcome a learning curve before he can do so.
Thus, it seems that they don’t anticipate having a lot of competition this season. Walker was not very productive with the Bears last season, appearing in 17 games and recording 3.5 sacks, after cashing in with the team after a career-high seven-sack season. Those figures should be easy to beat if Booker can make his way onto the field.