Chicago Bears Camp: Is Allen Robinson connecting with the wrong QB?
Everyone knows the Chicago Bears will ultimately start rookie Justin Fields at quarterback. It’s just a matter of when will he take the reins from Andy Dalton. In the meantime, the Bears’ best receiver and recipient of the franchise tag, Allen Robinson seems to be building tons of chemistry with Chicago’s veteran signal-caller.
In a recent post from the Chicago Tribune’s Dan Wiederer, Robinson was quoted with what was described as “beaming” comments related to his connection with Dalton.
Is Allen Robinson’s recent connection with Dalton the wrong Chicago Bears QB?
Wiederer quoted Robinson, who was speaking to the media after the Chicago Bears’ most recent practice on Saturday. Much of what Robinson has said could be taken as an indirect reference to the ineptness of the previous quarterback Mitch Trubisky, or perhaps even an unwillingness to spend time waiting for Fields to learn the nuances of the quarterback position that Dalton has mastered over the course of his 10-year NFL career.
Robinson said:
"Typically after every play, completion or no completion, I’m making sure I’m where Andy wants me,. It’s been very smooth. … He’s taken a lot of snaps. He’s played a lot of football in this league. (I can tap into) the things he sees, the things he likes. It may be how this certain route was run, how that route is ran. It really helps you play free as a receiver just knowing that OK, this is what he wants."
Robinson spoke about Dalton’s ability to adjust, and to shape the design of a play based on his receiver’s level of comfort running a route. He added, Dalton “can adapt very easily.”
You can hear more of Robinson’s comments about Dalton in the video below.
Per another quote from Wiederer, Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy voiced his pleasure with what he described as a “more vocal” version of Robinson.
“He’s been more vocal than probably he has been in the last three years,” Nagy said. “And that’s a good thing. I love that.”
All of this sounds great at face value, but are there underlying details that suggest Robinson is vibing with the wrong quarterback? Robinson’s future with the Chicago Bears beyond the current season is uncertain.
Chicago will have another decision to make as it pertains to a multi-year extension, another franchise tag, trade or perhaps allowing the veteran WR to walk away for nothing in free agency.
In any case, with Fields seemingly destined to take the field as QB1 sometime in 2021, is Robinson properly aligning himself with the guy who will wind up with the most meaningful snaps this season?
None of this means Robinson won’t have a connection with Fields. However, you do have to wonder if players, coaches and front office personnel are on the same page.
It’s easy to see how a veteran wide receiver like Robinson might be partial to someone like Dalton. The 33-year-old has had success in the NFL, been to three Pro Bowls, and likely is the closest thing to a mix between Trubisky and Nick Foles (from an arm-strength-meets-football IQ standpoint) Robinson has seen in Chicago.
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That said, Fields is the future, and that future could be coming sooner than later. The Chicago Bears will hope for Robinson to find similar levels of comfort with their new franchise quarterback through training camp, and the upcoming preseason and regular season.