Were Chicago Bears fans expectations off for Dominique Robinson?

As the Chicago Bears get ready for the 2023 season many fans and people in the media see their edge rusher group as the weak link of the roster. The team did add DeMarcus Walker and Rasheem Green, but those are not big names and they do not move the needle.

Were Chicago Bears fans expectations off for Dominique Robinson?

The Bears brought back Trevis Gipson, who struggled when he was asked to step up in the role, and Dominique Robinson who did next to nothing as a rookie. However, while fans see Robinson as a player who was a day-three pick, did little as a rookie, and is probably not going to be much of a player, the Chicago Bears may see things differently.

It is all about expectations. When you compare Robinson to an average NFL player, he did not meet expectations, and even for a rookie, he was below average. However, you have to remember who he is, where he was coming from, and what his expectations were.

Dominique Robinson fell to day three of the 2022 NFL draft because he was a project. It was not long ago that he was a wide receiver at Miami (OH) so this has been a completely new adjustment for him. When the Bears drafted him, the thoughts were a lot different. Next season will be his fourth season as a pass rusher, not in the NFL, in general.

The team still had Robert Quinn, and they still had hope for Al-Quadin Muhammad and Trevis Gipson. The initial thought was that Robinson may redshirt his rookie, or if he got onto the field, it would be sparingly.

So, through OTAs and training camps, it is easy to say that he was ahead of schedule. He got on the field in week one, and many were not sure that would be the case when he was drafted. From there, things calmed down.

In trading Quinn, teams began to have more time and attention to shift to the rookie pass rusher who is viewed as a project. It is no surprise that he got shut down, but that is not what the expectations were.

Around this time last year, if you said that Robinson would start seven games, play in all 17, get in over 500 snaps, and record a sack and a half, most fans would take it. However, when it played out that way most fans were disappointed.

It is all about expectations for Dominique Robinson. If you thought he could fill in for Robert Quinn as a rookie you walked away claiming we have a bust and need to upgrade. If you thought getting on the field would be a win for Robinson as a rookie, his year was pretty impressive and there are reasons for optimism. Do the Chicago Bears see him taking a step after he beat their expectations last season?