2 surprise pass rushers turning heads in early stages of Bears training camp originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Do the Bears have their pass rush group set already? A couple of lesser heralded players have already started turning some heads.
In the early days of camp, both Jacob Martin and Austin Booker have flashed repeatedly as they bear down on quarterbacks from the edge.
Before we get too far, it needs to be noted that the Bears havenāt put on the pads yet. That gives pass rushers an advantage in team drills since offensive linemen donāt have much to work with in pass pro. Without pads, thereās not a ton of space for them to engage d-linemen with their hands. So the pass rushers should be winning more often than not, and if they werenāt it would probably be a bigger story.
But the pass rushers are winning, and theyāre winning with more than just power. Both Martin and Booker have run past their would-be blockers with speed, and that probably would look the same even if the team was in pads.
Letās start with Martin. Heās gotten a bunch of playing time right behind DeMarcus Walker and Sweat. When the team signed him to a free agent deal this offseason, the expectation was he would contribute as a rotational player. In an admittedly small sample size, it looks like he could have the makings of a No. 3 rusher if called upon.
āGreat speed,ā said defensive coordinator Eric Washington. āGreat speed and quickness. Very athletic. Heās an excellent space player. But heās really sturdy at the point of attack. Those types of things you really need to have.ā
Put it all together and Washington says Martin is a player who the Bears anticipate contributing as a three-down player. That means they wonāt only trust him on pass rush downs. If a starter needs a breather, he can play a full series.
āAs a right defensive end, heās doing a nice job,ā Washington said.
Then thereās Booker. GM Ryan Poles traded back into the fifth round of this yearās draft to acquire Booker, but scouts viewed him as more of a project player. Booker has a high ceiling to develop into a major impact pass rusher, but the thought was that the major impact wouldnāt come until 2025 or so. Until then, Booker would probably be pressed into duty on specific third-down packages. That still may end up being the case, but the Bears wonāt put a ceiling on Bookerās development this year and so far heās looked up to the challenge.
āI saw a lot of things that Iām really excited about,ā said Washington. āHis hand usage. His ability to counter. And with a pass rusher, especially a young player, itās just a mindset. Heās competing out there and heās competing to win.ā
The Bears have had Booker rotate in with the first team at times this training camp, mainly as a function of how theyāre swapping players in and out of the lineup. The team does want Booker to experience how things operate with the 1s, however, and they want Booker to get a feel for working alongside the starters.
āJust trying to make sure that we give him exposure but at the same time we continue to build him and move him at a pace that we think is reasonable for his long-term development.ā
From the end of the draft to the start of training camp, there was a lot of talk suggesting the Bears needed another pass rusher to complement Sweat. Depth was called into question and the expectation was the team would add one more piece at some point before Week 1. Once the team gets into pads and truly evaluates the position group, they still might. But if players like Martin and Booker can continue to impress as the calendar turns from July to August, there might be less pressure to add another DE.
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