Chicago Bears: Allen Robinson at OTAs a fantastic sign
The Chicago Bears signed Allen Robinson to a three-year deal in free agency coming off a torn ACL, so his presence at OTAs is a wonderful sign.
The Chicago Bears didn’t sign wide receiver Allen Robinson based off of the 2017 season. In his final year in Jacksonville, the Penn State product played in one game and amassed just one reception for 17 yards before suffering a torn ACL that ended his season. Thus, the Bears were signing the soon-to-be 25-year old wideout based on what he is when healthy.
Of course, with Robinson coming off of a season-ending knee injury, the first step is to make sure that the fifth-year receiver is healthy to play when Week 1 rolls around. As of right now, he appears to be well on the right track to make that happen.
As reported by Chris Wesseling of NFL.com, Robinson practiced for the first time with the Bears at OTAs on Wednesday. Granted, OTAs aren’t full-contact practice, nor are they the most grueling activities that players will have to go through. However, him being out there already is a wonderful sign for his recovery.
New Bears head coach Matt Nagy talked about Robinson’s return to Wesseling and was excited about his return to the field. Having said that, the new head man in Chicago did note that Robinson most likely will sit out of team drills at mandatory minicamp. More importantly, Nagy believes the receiver will be “ready to go” come training camp.
Despite being saddled with Blake Bortles with the Jaguars, Robinson flashed tremendous potential at his best, specifically in his second season in 2015. That year, Robinson went for 80 catches, 1,400 yards and 14 touchdowns. Indeed, those are bonafide No. 1 receiver numbers, which is what the Bears need him to be.
Mitchell Trubisky showed real promise as a rookie once he was named the starter last season, but was inconsistent. Then again, showing flashes with the receiving corps around him in 2017 is an impressive feat in its own right. Thus, the Bears front office made a concerted effort to improve the weapons around their investment at quarterback, and Robinson is at the forefront of that.
Suffice it to say that a great deal of Chicago’s offensive success hinges on Robinson being both healthy and productive. With him already joining the team to run through things in OTAs though, it does seem that the Bears’ plan is right on track.