The Chicago Bears are gearing up for the 2023 NFL season, which features plenty of new and returning faces within the organization. There are a number of players, coaches and front office members that are crucial to the team’s success this season.
Every day from now until the start of training camp, we’re counting down our 30 Most Important Bears for the 2023 season. We’ll recap their 2022 season, look ahead to 2023 and tackle the biggest question facing them this year.
Coming in at No. 27 is defensive end Dominique Robinson, who has a golden opportunity to take a big step in his second season.
Background
Position: Defensive end
Age: 25
Experience: 2nd season
2023 cap hit: $938,288
2022 recap
Robinson was drafted by the Bears in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Miami (OH) as a raw edge rusher. He changed positions twice in college, going from quarterback to wide receiver and then defensive end, but he showed promise at the position that stood out to general manager Ryan Poles. That was evident right away in Week 1 when he totaled seven tackles and 1.5 sacks in the Bears’ win over the San Francisco 49ers. It would be his best outing of the season with struggles coming later on, but Robinson still flashed at times. He finished the year with 30 tackles (two for loss), and 1.5 sacks while playing in all 17 games.
2023 outlook
Robinson is just one of two holdovers at the defensive end position to play meaningful snaps last year but his role has yet to be defined for this upcoming season. Edge rusher was a glaring weakness heading into the offseason but the Bears decided not to break the bank or use draft capital on upgrades. DeMarcus Walker signed a multiyear deal in free agency after a breakout year and the team signed Rasheem Green to join Robinson and Trevis Gipson. But the Bears have not yet landed a difference maker that many thought they would. They should give Robinson plenty of playing time, but he’ll need to compete in camp to earn a starting spot.
Big question: Can Robinson break out in his sophomore season?
It’s no surprise Robinson had an up-and-down rookie campaign. He played just one season in college at defensive end and a year later, was lining up against players like Trent Williams, Laremy Tunsil, and Lane Johnson. Robinson showed keen intellect though, using a tendency from Williams that resulted in the one sack he let up all season. But Robinson knows he needs to produce more consistently and has been training all offseason. He’s worked with former Colts star Robert Mathis and has lofty goals for himself in 2023, hoping to notch at least 10 sacks according to an interview he had with the Good Athlete Podcast. With tons of upside and a lack of star power at the position, he’s a sneaky pick to be a breakout player.
30 Most Important Bears of 2023
We’re counting down our 30 Most Important Bears of 2023. Check back every day leading up to the start of training camp.
| 30. K Cairo Santos | 29. FB Khari Blasingame | 28. TE Robert Tonyan |
| 27. DE Dominique Robinson | 26. COMING 6/30 | 25. COMING 7/1 |
| 24. COMING 7/2 | 23. COMING 7/3 | 22. COMING 7/4 |
| 21. COMING 7/5 | 20. COMING 7/6 | 19. COMING 7/7 |
| 18. COMING 7/8 | 17. COMING 7/9 | 16. COMING 7/10 |
| 15. COMING 7/11 | 14. COMING 7/12 | 13. COMING 7/13 |
| 12. COMING 7/14 | 11. COMING 7/15 | 10. COMING 7/16 |
| 9. COMING 7/17 | 8. COMING 7/18 | 7. COMING 7/19 |
| 6. COMING 7/20 | 5. COMING 7/21 | 4. COMING 7/22 |
| 3. COMING 7/23 | 2. COMING 7/24 | 1. COMING 7/25 |
