People Missed The Crucial Part Of Austin Booker Dominating Miami

The Chicago Bears' preseason opener was fun, and despite its 24-24 conclusion, there were plenty of positive developments. Colston Loveland, Luther Burden, and Kyle Monangai all had exciting debuts. Loveland looks athletic and fast. Burden had a huge 3rd down conversion and set up a last-second field goal in the first half. Monangai averaged five yards per carry and broke what felt like dozens of tackles. However, the real star of the afternoon by a wide margin was Austin Booker.

Concerns have remained high about the Bears' pass rush. Outside of Montez Sweat, they don't really have anybody on the edge who can win with speed. Dayo Odeyingbo is more of a power player, which is why the Micah Parsons and Trey Hendrickson trade speculation has remained prevalent. Booker may have changed that thinking as he dominated the Dolphins, collecting three sacks, a forced fumble, and four quarterback hits. His pressures also led to at least one other sack by Dominique Robinson.

It was a massacre.

Austin Booker found his power.

In the previous preseason, his sacks mostly came from effort. It was significantly different this time. Austin Booker has learned how to weaponize his length and quickness, consistently beating blockers. What really stood out was his power. His most decisive moment of the game, the strip-sack, came after bulldozing Miami's left tackle into the dirt. He didn't have that club in his bag last season. Throwing around 300-pound linemen is not a common occurrence.

Most considered him too thin coming out of college. He has clearly put on some muscle in the past few months and used it to great effect. Head coach Ben Johnson called him a "menace" after the game. Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen sees a bright future for him, stating the only issue is consistency. Once he gets there, he'll be a good player.

Austin Booker showed flashes of that all game long on Sunday. If this is who the Bears get for the entire season, their pass rush will be a much different animal than what opponents were expecting.