Chicago Bears Find Trevis Gipson Has Much to Learn
Next to "whatever happened to Robert Quinn" and "whatever happened to Riley Ridley," one other question Bears fans have to be asking is whatever happened to outside linebacker Trevis Gipson.
Quinn at least has one strip sack and two quarterback hits, the sack coming in Week 2. And Ridley finally debuted for this season with two receptions on Sunday in the 24-17 loss to Tennessee, after Javon Wims couldn't play due to going berserk against the Saints.
Gipson hasn't been active for a game since the Oct. 4 loss to the Colts.
The fifth-round draft pick out of Tulsa had played 12 defensive snaps in the season opener, then got in three weeks later for one snap against the Colts and three special teams plays.
The Bears traded away their fourth-round draft pick for next season to select Gipson this year in Round 5.
The fortunate part of this is they haven't really needed him for the pass rush. They've had 6 1/2 sacks from Khalil Mack and on the other side Barkevious Mingo and James Vaughters have 1 1/2 each to go with Quin's sack. Their other defensive linemen have been active, as well, with Mario Edwards making his second sack on Sunday.
"Trevis continues to ramp up, especially in individual," outside linebackers coach Ted Monachino said. "He's doing a great job of figuring out exactly the technique that we're teaching. He gets better each week at that.
"The other thing he does jump off the tape at you on is some of the scout team stuff. He went through a couple week span where he was the player of the week over there and I'm encouraged by the things that Trevis is doing over there."
Scout team player of the week doesn't quite raise the excitement level for Bears fans.
"Just, we're in a situation right now where we've got a number of guys on the roster that are up on game day and he just hasn't been one of them for a while," Monachino said. "I know that he is ready to play whenever we need him to play but just like all of them, the role would have to be a role that he can perform well in. We can't just throw him out there and hope that he's a man for all seasons because he's not yet.
"Without going through an offseason and through a real training camp with preseason games, some of that is hard to evaluate."
Gipson did have a long climb to make. He had been playing mostly as a down lineman at Tulsa and the Bears projected him in a role like Khalil Mack or Robert Quinn, as an edge linebacker.
The argument about camp and COVID-19 wiping out a young player's offseason seems a popular one, if not a valid one. Several Bears assistants have pointed to this as slowing the growth of other younger players, but neither rookie receiver Darnell Mooney nor rookie cornerback Jaylon Johnson seem to be bothered by it.
"Trevis can do all the things we ask our position group to do physically and mentally," Monachino said. "It's just a function of can we get him enough reps that we feel comfortable and he feels confident going into the game to execute at a winning football level and I know that the kid wants to play and we want to get him in there.
"But he is a work in progress and we’re going to continue to work with him until we feel like he is ready to contribute to winning defense."
Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven
