The Chicago Bears were busy looking for trades ahead of Tuesday’s deadline and the result was a shake-up along the defensive line. Dayo Odeyingbo’s torn Achilles in Week 9 sent the Bears to look for someone to help their pass rush and according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, it led to the acquisition of Joe Tryon-Shoyinka from the Cleveland Browns in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round pick.
Tryon-Shoyinka isn’t going to inspire Bears fans to party in the streets as the former first-round pick didn’t have a sack in the first eight games of the season in Cleveland. But his arrival still causes a ripple effect on Chicago’s depth chart, with Dominique Robinson being the biggest winner.
Dominique Robinson is Bears’ Biggest Winner After Joe Troyon-Shoyinka Trade
Robinson had a right to be nervous ahead of the trade deadline. While Odeyingbo’s injury moved everybody except for starter Montez Sweat up one spot on the depth chart, Robinson could have moved right back to where he was as the fourth defensive end if the Bears made a big swing ahead of the deadline.
While Tryon-Shoyinka joins Robinson in the defensive line room, he feels like a depth and rotational player more than a difference maker. While Shoyinka was shut out in the first half of the season, he also didn’t see the field with 31 snaps according to Pro Football Focus. The 26-year-old also had little production in the pressure department with just 24 total pressures and two sacks last season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and hasn’t had more than 30 pressures in a season since logging 48 since 2022.
While defensive coordinator Dennis Allen may see some upside after years of battling Tryon-Shoyinka as head coach of the New Orleans Saints, it’s also unlikely he’ll suddenly turn into a monster and could be someone brought in to bring a body to the back end of the room.
This is where Robinson could claim victory. Austin Booker is likely to be promoted to the top spot across from Sweat after making his return against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. While Robinson could be pushed for snaps after the trade, his experience in the system gives him a leg up on Tryon-Shoyinka.
Robinson hasn’t put up eye-popping numbers this season with 1.5 sacks and nine pressures on 115 total snaps per PFF. But it was still more production than Odeyingbo’s one sack and 10 pressures in 369 snaps this season.
With Tryion-Shoyinka shoring up the back end of the depth chart, Robinson has a chance to shine and be Chicago’s unlikely winner at the trade deadline.