‘He kind of reminds me of myself’ Bears teammates give praises to McKinley grad Dominique Robinson

CLEVELAND — Dominique Robinson made his return to Northeast Ohio, but this time in a Chicago Bears uniform. It was his first game at FirstEnergy Stadium as the Bears escaped with the 21-20 victory over the Cleveland Browns in the preseason finale. With the regular season about two weeks away, Robinson’s family came out and supported the rookie before he headed back to Chicago.

“It was just a surreal moment,” Anthony Robinson Jr, Dominique’s older brother said. “We are all extremely happy for him. All the hard work is paying off.”

Unfortunately, Dominique’s homecoming was cut short. In the second quarter, he sustained a leg injury and didn’t return for the rest of the game. Dominique was unavailable after the game.

Dominique was selected in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL draft out of Miami University. In his NFL debut, he recorded a sack in week one against the Kansas City Chiefs. In week two versus the Seattle Seahawks, he registered two total tackles and quarterback hits.

Dominique, who took some first-team snaps during camp, didn’t fill the stat sheet on Saturday, but throughout the preseason, he had shown flashes and was impressive enough that Doug Farrar, NFL editor for USA Today, considered him as a ‘secret superstar’ after his performance in week two against the Seahawks.

Veteran edge rusher and Bears teammate Robert Quinn gave praise to Dominique after the game as he went toe-to-toe with Browns left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. before going down with a leg injury.

“He’s a quick twitch,” Quinn said. “It’s hard to coach that. It’s usually his God-given ability and to see him constantly work on his craft everyday, trying to get better… you know, (he gives) two cents that coaches give him or I could give him, he just works his craft and tries to become the best player he could be.”

As a former quarterback turned wide receiver turned defensive end, Dominique entered the league raw as he still continues to grow as an NFL pass rusher. Quinn pointed out that one of the things he wants to see more from the Canton native is his finishing. Yet, the ceiling could not get any higher.

“He will beat them guys, he really just needs to finish them,” Quinn said. “D’Line ain’t complicated. It’s just one of them. It’s just finishing no matter if it’s tackles for loss or on the quarterback because he got a lot of good pass rushing and stuff, getting to the backfield. That’s a good sign for sure, disrupting no matter what.”

Quinn also mentioned how straightforward Dominique is. He doesn’t say much unless it's football related and keeps his head down as he continues to work on his game. Quinn could relate.

“He kind of reminds me of myself,” Quinn said. “He’s just very quiet. He chirps in when need be. He’s pretty quiet, comes into work and tries to be the best player he could be. As a man, he’s a stand-up guy. When you ask him something, he just shoots it straight. He doesn't beat around the bush or fluff up an answer. He cuts it straight to the point.”

From an offensive perspective, Bears quarterback Justin Fields spoke about Dominique as he valued his maturity and work ethic. Yet, he was unaware that Robinson was a standout quarterback in high school.

“I think he has really matured as a rookie for sure,” Fields said about Dominique after the game. He is married, so a family man for sure. “He’s a freak of an athlete. He’s fast. He has five or six percent body fat or something like that, so he is just a freak. On the field, he’s a smart guy and he works hard.”

Dominique is currently third-team on the Bears' depth chart, sitting behind Quinn and Al-Quadin Muhammad. It’s no doubt that he will make the 53-man roster as the final cut day is set for Aug. 30. The Bears open the season at home against the San Francisco 49ers on Sept. 11.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Dominique Robinson praised by Chicago Bears teammates