GM Ryan Poles needed to shift the philosophy of the Chicago Bears when he took over. He wanted to make this organization more about drafting and developing its own talent and no more leaning on free agency and expensive trades. While this approach has often been proven to be the most reliable at producing a winning organization, it is difficult for fans to stomach because it requires time to execute. Most young players need two or three years before they start blossoming in the NFL. Patience isn’t in the DNA of modern fans.
Still, the Bears are staying the course. They want to give their young guys room to grow. That led to an interesting question. Who among their many new additions in 2022 might be an unexpected breakout candidate in 2023? Former Bears fullback Jason McKie was posed this question on the Chicago Bears Podcast by Pat The Designer. Based on what he’s seen, one name jumped out to McKie almost immediately. The guy he thinks has the best chance to be a dark horse is Dominique Robinson.
They selected him in the 5th round out of Miami Ohio last year. While very new to the defensive end position, they felt his excellent size, length, and athleticism could be molded into something special. Head coach Matt Eberflus and his coaching staff would have to drill him on the finer points of technique and fundamentals. There were flashes last year. Robinson had 1.5 sacks in his first game. However, he failed to collect another for the rest of the season. Veteran tackles routinely had no issues handling him. It was clear the rookie had lots of work to do.
Robinson even admitted he was stubborn about seeking more help until later in the year. He’d been so used to his athleticism and physical skill making things easy for him that he felt the same would happen here. The NFL has a way of humbling people who think that way. His attitude changed by December, and he started taking the fundamental part of his game more seriously. If that focus continues this off-season, the Chicago Bears may see substantial progress on the field. That might be why they’ve held off on bringing in a veteran edge rusher to this point.
They, too, want to see what Robinson has learned.
