Dominique Robinson has had a personal timetable for himself as a football player.
He had it when he was in Athens, Ohio, playing wide receiver at Miami University. After two seasons, Robinson saw it on film. He could catch the football, but the other aspects of the position didn’t look natural. It’s why Robinson switched to defensive end in his junior year. He was a fifth-round selection by the Chicago Bears in the 2022 NFL Draft.
That’s a good sign his switch to defensive end was working.
Still, entering his fourth year in the NFL, he’s encountering the same feeling.
“I’m kind of at the same point now,” Robinson told FOX 32 on Wednesday. “Those first few years, it was just like, yeah, I’m athletic enough to play this position, but I don’t look like a D-end. I don’t move like a D-end. I’m a little soft in certain positions.”
But Year 4 is different for Robinson. Not only does it feel different acclimating to a new defensive scheme, but he’s also gotten praise from the coaching staff. That praise was a sign that Year 4 is also a fresh start for Robinson.
A ‘Perfect’ Name Drop:
In June, Bears head coach Ben Johnson was asked to point out a few players that caught his eye in OTAs. He took the day before answering the question. Rookies Ruben Hyppolite II and Kyle Monangai got acknowledgments. Tight end Joel Wilson got his flowers, too.
Then, Johnson singled out Robinson. Even before training camp, Robinson was making an impression on his new boss.
“Even without the pads on, he has done a great job of consistently speed rush up the field or countering back to the inside,” Johnson said on June 5. “He has some special teams value that he takes a lot of pride in as well.”
It was a perfect moment for Robinson.
He put in a tremendous amount of work during the offseason. He worked with football coach pass-rush specialist Dez Walker, who also worked with Montez Sweat, to fine-tune his pass-rushing skills. He worked on breaking down his approach to pass rushing, and that turned into simplifying his rush and making it faster.
Walker said he worked with Robinson on discerning when to use certain moves. Borrowing baseball metaphors, Walker worked with Robinson on when to use his fastball, or when to change to a curveball. It was about when to use certain moves to set up another pass rush move for success later. It was about understanding how every step in a pass rush is significant.
“Just because you throw a fast ball, don’t mean you’re going to strike everybody out,” Walker said.
When defensive coordinator Dennis Allen came on with his aggressive scheme and a new playbook, Robinson was ready to apply his faster rush to a scheme that has a need for an aggressive pass rush to pair with a press-man coverage scheme. His training with Walker flourished in the first few phases of the offseason, and it earned Robinson some reps with the first-team defense in OTAs and mandatory minicamp. That’s continued as he’s shined in training camp, too.
“He’s always had the finesse part of the rush,” Bears defensive line coach Jeremy Garrett said. “Now, I think he’s understanding how to counter rush and how to win with power.”
Now, it was all coming together.
“Just the physicality of it and just the different things that I needed to hone in on and to see it all kind of come together, finally during spring and now during camp, it’s magical,” Robinson said. “To hear him name-drop me, it was perfect.”
A Fresh Start:
This change was a result of the work Robinson put in. He turned the heads of the new Bears’ coaching staff early, and that’s continuing in training camp.
“He’s improved the run fundamentals and I think improving as a rusher as well,” Garrett said. “We’re seeing some good things out of him.”
But, the new staff is also a fresh start that Robinson needed.
Although he joined the Bears in 2022 under then-head coach Matt Eberflus’ staff and had 1.5 sacks in his NFL debut, his playing time declined in the two years following. In 2022, Robinson played in all 17 games, starting seven, to playing in 11 games in 2023 and just six in 2024. It was hard for Robinson to understand or see what the vision was for him.
“It felt like I had a cap put over me with the last staff,” Robinson said. “That’s what it felt like. It just felt like no matter what I did, they just seen me for … I don’t know.”
There’s been a learning curve for Robinson since he came into the league in 2022, which came on top of learning curve in moving from wide receiver to defensive end before the 2020 season.
The present-day Bears coaching staff has acknowledged there’s plenty more Robinson needs to learn before he’s a finished product.
“I’ve been impressed with what he’s been able to do,” Allen said. “He’s still learning how to play the defensive end position. Every day he comes out here, he works extremely hard, he’s smart and he has ability. If you’re smart and you have ability and you’re willing to work, you’re going to get better. I think he’s done that.”
Robinson knows he has plenty more to learn. It’s why he worked with Walker this offseason before taking on minicamp, OTAs and training camp.
Getting a fresh set of eyes on his game was the perfect compliment to his improved skillset.
“I made a huge jump in my pass rush game, but I truly believe that having this fresh start really helped me out,” he said.
What’s next:
The coaches saw Robinson’s work manifest on the practice field. They still knew there was the next step in that process.
“I’m anxious to see him play in game and see what that looks like,” Allen said.
Robinson got the chance against Miami. The Dolphins were in a two-minute drill late in the first half, and quarterback Zach Wilson dropped back to pass. Robinson and fellow pass rusher Austin Booker closed the pocket, and Robinson finished the job with a take-down.
It was one of six Bears sacks in the preseason opener. It was Robinson’s first sack since Week 4 of the 2023 season, which was a half sack on then-Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson.
“I couldn’t have left that game without getting a sack,” Robinson said.
It was the offseason work paying off in real time, but Robinson is entering Year 4 with more than just extra knowledge under his belt. The name-drop from Johnson in June upped Robinson’s confidence level in what will be a pivotal year for him.
“It’s high,” Robinson said of his confidence. “I don’t want to say all-time high. Let me get a couple games up under my belt where I’m continuing to at least win pass rushes, you know what I’m saying?”
Robinson is also entering a contract year with the Bears. His rookie deal ends after the 2025 season.
Continuing to win pass rushes and being a force on a Bears’ defensive line that includes Montez Sweat, Grady Jarrett and Gervon Dexter Sr. – all pass rushers who have worked with Walker – will be key in earning a second contract with the Bears.
“I really think Dom is that guy that could be there for a long time,” Walker said.
That’s to come for Robinson. As for now, reaching a level of play that he’s wanted to hit is helping him fit as a piece of the new coaching staff’s puzzle.
“For it finally to be clicking, this is the year,” Robinson said.