During the early stages of the 2025 offseason, the Chicago Bears spent free agency and the NFL Draft reshaping the team in new head coach Ben Johnson's vision. While lots of the focus has been on the offense after Johnson rebuilt the offensive line and used his first two draft picks on offensive weapons, the defense can't be ignored.
Arguably, Chicago's biggest addition on defense this offseason was defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo.
Odeyingbo signed a three-year deal worth $48 million and is expected to make an impact beside Montez Sweat. That said, the Bears held their mandatory minicamp last week and the 25-year-old was noticeably absent.
His absence allowed fourth-year defensive end Dominique Robinson to shine, which is not what Bears fans wanted to hear.
Bears Defensive End Dayo Odeyingbo Already Disappointing Fans With Minicamp Absence
According to the Athletics' Adam Jahns' minicamp observations, Odeyingbo missed all three practices. This allowed Johnson to observe Robinson against the first-team offense. Following Thursday's final day of minicamp, Johnson shared a positive evaluation of Robinson.
"Even without the pads on, (Robinson’s) done a great job of consistently speed-rushing up the field or countering back to the inside. 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"Ben Johnson - Via Adam Jahns
While hearing that Robinson stood out without pads on is slightly encouraging, Bears fans would have rather seen Odeyingbo make that impact. After all, Odeyingbo hasn’t been a consistent force through his first three NFL seasons, so every rep he can get in a new defense is important, especially after such a hefty financial investment.
Even so, as long as Odeyingbo is back for the start of training camp, fans shouldn't worry too much. What a player like Odeyingbo can do in pads during training camp is way more important than what a defensive end can do in a t-shirt and shorts during minicamp.
However, if he struggles in training camp or misses the start of it due to injury, fans should definitely start to hit the alarm bells.