With fans already looking ahead to the 2024 season, there's still much to do for the Chicago Bears. Sure, the bulk of the moves are done with, but there is a lot to be accomplished between now and September.
Chicago has some areas of the roster that are far from a finished product, and one of those positions doesn't come as a surprise to fans. It's the defensive end spot.
In a piece he released over the weekend, Bleacher Report's David Kenyon wrote about one notable cut each NFL team could make this offseason. For the Bears, he selected pass rusher Dominique Robinson, and it makes some sense.
If the Bears cut Dominique Robinson, they better have made another addition beforehand
Not that Robinson has been spectacular, but he might also be the fourth-best pass rusher on this team. The Bears will likely keep four or five defensive ends, and Robinson certainly qualifies as one of the guys that deserves to be kept, as the way the roster currently stands.
Will Khalid Kareem or Jacob Martin supplant Robinson as the no. 4 defensive end? That's highly unlikely, although no one should count out what may happen during training camp.
Robinson did play 50 percent of defensive snaps as a rookie, as Kenyon noted in his piece. But, that percentage dipped to just 35 percent in 2023.
It should also be mentioned that Robinson is a fellow fifth-round pick like current Bears rookie Austin Booker. The Bears can have all the faith in the world in a fifth-round pick, but nothing is a guarantee. There's a reason Booker didn't go in the early rounds, and maybe he's out to prove everybody wrong -- and maybe he does.
But, let's take a step back and remember that, based on draft capital and the current state of the roster, it's anyone's game for the third, fourth and/or fifth pass rusher spots.
At the very least, the Bears have a prolific pass rusher in Montez Sweat. That, fans can be thankful for. There are still some veterans available for the Bears to sign, as well, which Ryan Poles should be taking advantage of sooner rather than later.
As for Robinson? He should be safe ... for now.