The Chicago Bears didn’t waste time bringing back long snapper Scott Daly and wide receiver/punt returner Devin Duvernay to the 53-man roster — but in making those moves, they placed defensive end Austin Booker on injured reserve.

Booker is now out until at least the Week 6 game at Washington on Oct. 13. He has to miss a minimum of four games, and the Bears have a bye in Week 5.

The second-year defensive end was a bright spot in training camp and had four sacks in the first two preseason games, but he suffered a knee injury playing special teams in the 38-0 victory over the Buffalo Bills on Aug. 17. His four sacks led the league in the preseason and he figures to play a complementary role behind Montez Sweat and Dayo Odeyingbo, but now the Bears must wait for any contributions.

One source had said he believed Booker would miss three to five weeks, so it’s not surprising he will do a stint on IR — although the team surely had hoped to avoid that.

In reducing the roster to 53 players Tuesday, the Bears placed running back Travis Homer (calf) and linebacker Amen Ogbongmegia (shoulder) on IR with a designation to return. The league allowed a maximum of two IR moves with return designations to be made simultaneous with the roster cutdown. Thursday was the first day teams could place players on IR again with the possibility of having them return.

Daly and Duvernay are back one day after they had their contracts terminated as vested veterans. To clear the second roster spot, the Bears waived linebacker Carl Jones Jr. Jones played well on special teams in the preseason, and it’s possible he will return to the practice squad.

It’s unknown which player defensive coordinator Dennis Allen will turn to as the third end in the rotation to begin the season. Dominique Robinson made the roster but left practice early Tuesday and wasn’t seen on the field Wednesday. The Bears re-signed veteran Tanoh Kpassagnon to the practice squad, and it’s possible — if not likely — he will be flexed to the game-day roster for the Sept. 8 season opener against the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field.

The Bears have high hopes Booker can emerge as a significant contributor at a position they’ve had a difficult time drafting and developing talent. He had 1½ sacks and four quarterback hits in 17 games as a rookie in 2024 after the Bears drafted him in the fifth round out of Kansas.

Booker was considered raw and he’s only 22. He looked more comfortable using his hands to rush the quarterback this summer. Now he’ll have to heal up before he can show if he has made the necessary gains to make plays against starting offensive tackles.

The Bears also made a series of practice squad moves. They signed safety Gervarrius Owens, who played in five games over the last two seasons with the Vikings and Tennessee Titans, as well as cornerback Dontae Manning and tight end Nikola Kalinic. Long snapper Luke Elkin and cornerback Mekhi Garner were released.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/08/28/chicago-bears-austin-booker-injured-reserve/