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Shaw Local is counting down the top 25 most important Bears for the 2023 season.
What makes one player more important than another? That’s subjective, of course. But for our purposes it comes down to this: Are the Bears worse off if this player can’t play? Does this player have untapped potential or past greatness to live up to? Is his story going to be one fans follow closely this season?
The best player on the team isn’t always the most important, but he certainly can be. We will announce one player every day between now and the start of training camp.
No. 17 Dominique Robinson
Position: Defensive end
NFL experience: Second season
Last year’s ranking: N/A
Looking back: The Bears drafted Dominique Robinson with a fifth-round pick last year. Coming out of Miami of Ohio, Robinson was a unique selection because he had been a pass rusher for only a few years. When he arrived in Miami, he was a quarterback who then converted to wide receiver. Not until halfway through his college career did he switch positions again to play as an edge rusher.
The 6-foot-5, 253-pound defensive end was always going to be a work in progress. But there was a lot to like in his athletic traits and his body type. He’s long and lanky and has the size for the position if he keeps adding to his repertoire of moves.
But he surprised everyone by recording 1.5 sacks during his NFL debut against the 49ers in Week 1 last year. That felt like a breakthrough, like the Bears might have found a diamond in the rough. Unfortunately, Robinson didn’t find the quarterback again the rest of the season. He finished the year with 1.5 sacks and two tackles for loss.
Looking forward: This was a huge offseason for Robinson. He no doubt had a heavy focus on the weight room and on studying the defensive end position. The Bears made only one major addition at defensive end, signing free agent DeMarcus Walker, leaving the door open for Robinson to continue to see reps. Robinson started seven games late last season and played more than half the defensive snaps the second half of the year. Even if he’s not starting this year, he should be in the rotation.
Nobody is putting too much pressure on a fifth-round pick who has barely played his position. That said, the hope is that Robinson can have a huge leap from Year 1 to Year 2. The Bears ideally want to see him finding his way to the quarterback more often and more consistently. Nobody is expecting double-digit sacks, but getting in the five-, six- or seven-sack range for the season would make the Bears feel fantastic about the direction Robinson’s career is trending.
They also, simply put, need more players to disrupt opposing quarterbacks. If this defense is going to improve, there has to be pressure up front.
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