Everyone is raving about the NFL debut for Chicago Bears rookie Dominique Robinson. Robinson was supposed to be an upside project, so to see him excel so early on in his career has to be satisfying. Still, while he led the team in tackles, run stops, and sacks, Robinson only played 28 snaps.
He was ahead of Trevis Gipson, which is a bit surprising, but we always knew he would be behind Al-Quadin Muhammad and Robert Quinn in a rotation. So, while it will be tough for the Chicago Bears to move him ahead of anything but a third or fourth edge rusher, they may have found a way to get him on the field more after all.
Robinson spent 16 snaps against the left tackle, and 11 snaps against the right tackle. However, there was one snap, a hidden gem, where he lined up inside and rushed against the left guard. You can see the play below.
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This is significant because Robinson is not playing as a backup to Robert Quinn, nor he is across from Quinn. No, the duo are right beside each other. Quinn takes his man outside, while Robinson stunts inside.
Robinson is so athletic that he gets across the guard and center, and is fast enough that he can catch his balance and force Trey Lance to step up in the pocket. This is not a sack or one of his box stuffing plays, but this is significant from Robinson.
The first reason is that it can get him on the field more often. The team is weaker inside than they are on the outside. Angelo Blackson and Justin Jones are both expected to set career highs in snaps, and it may be best to ease their load by rotating Robinson into the mix.
Beyond that, as noted, the ability to get Quinn and Robinson next to each other can create even more havoc. That was just one rush, wait until these two start to work off of one another.
Of course, this is likely only to come on obvious pass downs. It gives the Chicago Bears a ‘Nascar’ look that many teams run, which is meant for pure speed and pass rush. They would be a bit thin, and bigger teams can run at Quinn and Robinson.
Still, when it is obvious passing downs, the speed of both of them together is terrifying. The team will need to find to get Robinson on the field more. He dominated his one rep as an inside rusher, and this could give the team a new pass rush look that is tough to defend. This sounds like a win-win for the coaches and Robinson to go back to this formation.