The Chicago Bears will once again turn to Week 6 hero Jake Moody in Week 7 against the New Orleans Saints, with kicker Cairo Santos ruled out. The Bears also announced that running back Travis Homer would be activated from injured reserve. However, the Bears did not make any announcements about second-year defensive end Austin Booker.
The No. 144 overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft’s 2025 debut will wait at least one more week.
Bears Add Super Bowl Champion as Austin Booker Remains on IR
Bears Keep Austin Booker on Injured Reserve
Booker has been on IR since the preseason with a knee injury. However, his flashes from the exhibition slate have inspired confidence that he could help boost the Bears’ pass rush. The Bears are tied for the third-fewest sacks with 8 on the season.
Booker, 22, had 1.5 sacks as a rookie for the Bears. He posted 5.0 sacks in two games during the 2025 preseason.
The Bears’ sack leader entering Week 6 is defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr. with 2.5 so far.
Backup defensive end Dominique Robinson is second with 1.5 sacks, so there is a chance that Booker can provide a jolt that starters Montez Sweat and Dayo Odeyingbo (1.0 sacks apiece) have yet to do consistently.
That will have to wait for at least another week, though, and the Bears have until October 28 to make a final decision on Booker.
If he is not activated from IR by then, he will be out for the rest of the season.
Reserve linebacker and special teams maven Amen Ogbongbemiga was also left on IR for this week, but the Bears have until November 6 to make their final determination on his situation.
Bears Add Super Bowl Champion to Practice Squad
Elsewhere on the roster, the Bears made a bit of a pivot on veteran defensive lineman – and former Saint – Tanoh Kpassagnon.
The Bears signed Kpassagnon in March, but released him at the end of the preseason. They then signed him to their practice squad. They elevated him to their active roster twice before signing him to their active roster in September.
The Bears released him on October 17 and re-signed him to their practice squad on Saturday.
Kpassagnon played for Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen in New Orleans. He also won a Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2019. He has 1.0 sacks on the season and has played in four of the Bears’ five games. Kpassagnon has one more practice squad elevation this season.
After that, the Bears would have to sign him back to their 53-man roster to use him in a game for the rest of the campaign.