The Chicago Bears are in the middle of OTAs, which began late last month. The Bears also just held mandatory minicamp last week, which allowed new head coach Ben Johnson and the rest of the coaching staff to evaluate the entire 90-man roster.
For some guys on the team, OTAs are a great launching pad to get ready for the grind of an NFL regular season. Meanwhile, for other players on the 90-man roster, OTAs are the perfect opportunity to catch the coaches’ attention, hopefully increasing their chances of making the team.
Former fifth-round pick Dominique Robinson fits into that second category as the fourth-year defensive end was one of the four standouts who caught Ben Johnson’s attention at minicamp, per Adam Jahns of The Athletic.
Four players caught Ben Johnson's attention during the Bears' mandatory minicamp:
— Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) June 6, 2025
1. DE Dominique Robinson
2. Rookie LB Ruben Hyppolite
3. TE Joel Wilson
4. Rookie RB Kyle Monangai
Here's why:https://t.co/n5hD8Aw9xf
“Even without the pads on, (Robinson’s) done a great job of consistently speed-rushing up the field or countering back to the inside,” Johnson said. “He’s done a really nice job there. And of course he’s got some special teams value that he takes a lot of pride in as well."
The 26-year-old only appeared in six games last season, as Robinson was inactive for most of the 2024 campaign. However, the fact that Robinson is already making plays with the extended reps he got with the starters is a good sign.
If you take a look at the Bears’ projected depth chart on OurLads.com, Robinson is listed as a third-string defensive end behind Montez Sweat and Austin Booker (2024 fifth-round pick).
That said, Robinson has to do a lot to stand out, especially in front of a new coaching staff, as they did not draft him. Over his three-year career with the Bears, the 6-foot-5 defensive end has 49 combined tackles, four quarterback hits, three tackles for loss, three pass deflections, and two sacks.
In fact, Robinson’s best year with the Bears was his rookie season in 2022. The former Miami (OH) defender appeared in all 17 games and almost made seven starts. Robinson racked up 30 combined tackles, two tackles for loss, two pass deflections, two quarterback hits, and 1.5 sacks.
Since then, Robinson has started in one game over the last two years despite appearing in 17 games in that span. Therefore, Robinson needs to have a strong OTA, which will continue on Monday, training camp, and preseason.
If he can do that on the defensive side of the ball and play well on special teams, the former fifth-round pick will have a path to making the 53-man roster later this summer.