Bears linebacker Roquan Smith was so overcome with emotion when asked about teammate Robert Quinn being traded, he cut short his press conference Wednesday. It was that tough of a hit for the Bears’ defense.
But for young defensive ends Trevis Gipson and Dominique Robinson, their sadness was tinged with a bit of excitement. They’ll miss a great teammate, but get more snaps.
“It is very weird,” said Gipson, a 2020 fifth-round draft pick. “It’s down and up, if I’m being completely honest. I was sad and I didn’t expect it. Even when I came here in my rookie year, I’ve always been with Rob. He showed me the ropes. It was hard telling him goodbye [Wednesday] night, especially. But it is an opportunity and I’m going to give it my all.”
Robinson, a rookie drafted in the fifth round, could benefit the most from Quinn’s departure. Robinson has averaged 24 snaps a game. Quinn was averaging 43.4 snaps a game.
“That’s the NFL. Things happen,” Robinson, 24, said. “You have have to adjust to the best of your ability. We love Rob. When [the trade happened], he came in here [to the locker room], dapped us up, told us what happened.
“When I got the chance to talk to him after our meetings, one-on-one, I told him I appreciated him; I loved him for everything he did for me and that I was blessed to be able to sit back and watch him and develop a little bit and learn from him, because he’s gonna be a Hall of Fame. I truly believe that.”
Now it’s time to go to work.
“It’s a big opportunity,” Robinson said. “It’s been like this since college almost — it’s next man up. You never know when your opportunity is going to come. We’ve got some shoes to fill, but I think the higher-ups felt comfortable with us taking over, so we’ve got to put on now.”
Quinn was with the Bears for less than three seasons. But his impact was significant.
“I’d like to thank Robert Quinn for all he meant to our defense, all that he meant to the Chicago Bears and specifically all that he meant to me,” Bears defensive coordinator Alan Williams said prior to taking questions at his weekly media availability.
“Whenever you come in as a new coach or coordinator, to have one of the older guys be on board and echo your messages in the locker room and the practice field, that’s a big deal. I wish him well. I hope he continues to have a ton of success. If more people were like Robert, it would be a much better place professionally and personally.”
General manager Ryan Poles said his faith in Gipson and Robinson helped make the Quinn deal possible.
“It meant a lot. That’s a tremendous thing to me,” Gipson, 25, said. “I couldn’t be more appreciative. It’s time for me to take advantage of the opportunity and leave it all out on the field and leave my mark.”
