Dominique Robinson was not happy with his 2022 season, despite a hot start. The Bears defensive end was an early candidate to be a rookie phenom when he beat All-Pro tackle Trent Williams for one sack, and came away with another half sack against the 49ers in Week 1. Robinson never notched another sack, even when given more opportunities as the season progressed.
“It showed my youngness to the game as the season went on,” Robinson said. “Didn't use power at all.”
Robinson is known for being an athletic marvel. That’s what got him to the NFL. But he recognizes now that athleticism will only get him so far. He needed to develop his craft and learn the art of the pass rush, so he got together with Colts legend Robert Mathis for some workouts before the start of training camp.
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“That was something that in my exit meeting after last season when I talked with coach (Matt Eberflus) and Mr. (Ryan) Poles, that’s what I needed,” Robinson said. “They told me I needed to go out and get with a guy that’s been in the league or someone that’s in the league right now and learn from him and kind of set up with them for a couple of days and see what they learned when they were in the league and kind of take some things from it. So that’s what I did.”
Mathis is a wonderful choice for Robinson considering he’s a Super Bowl champion and five-time Pro Bowler with 123 career sacks and 54 forced fumbles. Mathis also has familiarity with Eberflus, since Mathis was a pass rushing consultant for the Colts for a bit while Eberflus was the defensive coordinator.
Robinson said he learned a lot from Mathis, both from a technique standpoint and a preparation standpoint.
“Just come into the game with a plan. Studying your man. Some things to watch. Pre-snap, and then some post-snap things. Some new moves and stuff like that.”
NFL
The Bears could use any uptick in production they get from Robinson this year. Last season the Bears ranked last in the NFL with 20 sacks, and only 10.5 of them came from defensive linemen. The team added free agents like DeMarcus Walker, Rasheem Green and Terrell Lewis to the mix, but none of those guys has 20 career sacks to his name. Walker’s seven-sack campaign from last season is the highest single-season mark of the bunch.
The Bears won’t put pads on until next week so we’ll have to wait and see how Robinson looks with those new moves.