It’s been an offseason of change for the Chicago Bears, which has included a new general manager and head coach in Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus, as well as the departures of some familiar faces.
There was no departure as big or surprising than that of star pass rusher Khalil Mack, who the Bears traded to the Los Angeles Chargers for a second-round pick and sixth-round selection.
For third-year pass rusher Trevis Gipson, he said “it bothered me a little bit” because he “stole a lot” technique-wise from Mack.
“I learned from Khalil, man,” Gipson said. “He paved the way for a lot of things and showed me what’s right and wrong, how to do certain techniques, how to carry myself as a vet.”
Bears OLB Trevis Gipson (who will be a D-end in Eberflus’ defense – more on that momentarily) said that the news of Khalil Mack being traded “sort of bothered me a little bit” because of how much info he gleaned from Mack the last 2 seasons/taught him to “carry myself as a vet.” pic.twitter.com/geXVmVTNlb
— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) April 19, 2022
Gipson was at a friend’s house when the news broke, and he didn’t believe it at first. Which seemed to be the general consensus.
“It hurt me to see him go,” Gipson said. “I wasn’t expecting it.”
After Mack suffered a season-ending foot injury in Week 7, Gipson stepped into the starting role opposite Robert Quinn, where he produced. In 2021, Gipson totaled 39 tackles, including seven tackles-for-loss, seven sacks, seven QB hits, two pass breakups, five forced fumbles and one fumble recovery in 16 games, including nine starts.
With Mack now in Los Angeles, Gipson gets an opportunity to take over the starting job on a full-time basis. He’ll have to compete with newcomer Al-Quadin Muhammad for the job. But regardless, there will be plenty of opportunities for Gipson, as Eberflus revealed his intentions to rotate along the defensive line to keep legs fresh.
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