Chicago Bears: 5 Breakout candidates for the 2023 season

Dominique Robinson — Defensive End

Ok, so the Chicago Bears had a horrible time trying to rush the quarterback in 2022. With that said, why would I pick two of their pass rushers to have breakout seasons?

Well, Poles invested heavily in the defensive tackle spot. Not only did he pick up free agents to play there he also drafted four of them in the draft. The thinking is that if the guys up the middle are doing their job and attracting attention the pass rushers will have more space to operate. If the blocking scheme is worried about the tackles, the ends should succeed.

Dominique Robinson was Chicago’s fifth-round pick in last year’s draft. He was originally a quarterback in high school. When he went to Miami (Ohio), he became a wide receiver. Two years in, he changed again and became an edge rusher.

In the NFL draft, his production scores were low because he was still learning the position. However, his athleticism score ranked third in the NFL Combine and ninth in total score.

Robinson was supposed to be a long-term project for the Bears. However, when he did get into games he was productive. In the Bears’ Week 1 upset of the San Francisco 49ers, he recorded 7 tackles (1 for loss), 2 quarterback hits, and 1.5 sacks.

Robinson earned more snaps and eventually started seven games. The Bears decided that they would accept his growing pains and had him learn on the fly. Robinson showed that he could adapt and played hard despite the difficulties. The player who was only supposed to play in several snaps per game ended up playing in 51 percent of the team’s defensive snaps.

Now Robinson wants to build on the experience from last season. He has more moves to counter blockers and can now anticipate well and get in the backfield quicker.

Having a breakout season for Robinson doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be a Pro Bowl player. It means that he shows that he is an important piece for the Chicago Bears defense for years to come.