Unexpected player could give Chicago Bears surprise boost in pass rush in 2025

The Chicago Bears began the 2025 offseason with a need at edge rusher, and while they did sign free agent Dayo Odeyingbo to a sizable contract, he isn't viewed as a guy who has double-digit sack potential. The 2025 NFL Draft came and went without adding one, which has all eyes focused on the returning Bears players who could emerge this year.

Montez Sweat will resume his role as the defense's lead pass rusher, with a competition for his top running mate expected to feature Odeyingbo and Austin Booker. But there's another name that's emerging through offseason workouts, and it's a familiar one to Bears fans: Dominique Robinson.

Yes, that D-Rob, whose NFL career got off to an incredible start when he recorded 1.5 sacks in his pro debut in 2022. Unfortunately, that would be the only 1.5 sacks he'd have that year, and he's managed only 0.5 sacks in the two seasons since.

But the 2025 NFL season will offer a fresh start to every holdover on the roster, including Robinson, who was singled out by coach Ben Johnson as a player who's impressed him during offseason workouts.

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"I don't even know about last year, to be honest with you, in terms of what that looked like," Johnson said from Halas Hall on Thursday. "But I can tell you that he has popped off. He looks the part for sure, and as we know, [with] O-line and D-line play, it's hard to really gauge too much [without pads], but he does have a quick first step off the ball. He lined up on our left tackles quite a bit here over the last few weeks and you could tell that he got the edge on them."

Looking the part in shorts and a t-shirt is very different from playing the part in pads. Robinson, who was a late convert to edge rusher during his college career -- he moved from quarterback to wide receiver before switching to defensive end as a senior -- could finally just now be hitting his stride as a defensive player. It'll be a boon to the Bears' defense if that's the case.

Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen will give players like Robinson a fair shake to state his claim for a pass-rushing role. And while it feels like D-Rob breaking out as a viable pass rusher for the Bears in 2025 is nothing more than wishful thinking, he, like most of the other returning Bears players, deserve a clean slate under Johnson and this new coaching staff.

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