Trevis Gipson receives a big opportunity with Khalil Mack trade

The Bears’ 2021 season didn’t have many positives.

That’s usually the case when a team only wins six games, finishes third in their division and has three different quarterbacks start at some point throughout the year. 

Despite the team’s disappointing year, second-year player Trevis Gipson flashed and made the most out of his opportunities. Gipson played in 16 games, registered seven sacks, caused five forced fumbles and made 39 combined tackles in 2021. 

Second-year #Bears edge defender Trevis Gipson has played 57 defensive snaps in 3 games. He only played 71 total last season. With Gipson seeing the field more, his production is also going up. Here he bench presses T.J. Hockenson and makes the tackle on the RB for a 1-yard loss. pic.twitter.com/1iPIqD58CG

— Nicholas Moreano (@NicholasMoreano) October 6, 2021

Not bad for someone who played in just seven games and made five total tackles during his rookie year. However, the 2020 fifth-round pick out of Tulsa will be asked to do much more under new general manager Ryan Poles and coach Matt Eberflus.

At 3:47 p.m. central time, ESPN Senior NFL Insider Adam Schefter broke the news that the Bears were working on a trade to send six-time Pro Bowler Khalil Mack to the Los Angeles Chargers. Schefter later tweeted Mack is expected to be traded for a 2022 second-round pick and a 2023 sixth-round pick. The Chargers would also take all of Mack’s remaining contract — three years and $63.9 million.

On Sept. 1, 2018, the #Bears traded for Khalil Mack — indicating they were ready to compete for a title.

On March 10, 2022, the Bears began finalizing a trade to send Mack to the LAC — indicating the organization is in a rebuild.

1,286 days a part.

How times have changed.

— Nicholas Moreano (@NicholasMoreano) March 11, 2022

The move clearly indicates the Bears are officially in a rebuild, but it also means Gipson is next in line to help provide a stable pass rush alongside Robert Quinn.

That’s if Quinn is still on the team once the season begins.

Gipson got a good glimpse of what it would be like filling in for the star edge rusher after Mack was placed on injured reserve last November. Gipson played 263 out of the 472 defensive snaps over the final eight games and accumulated five of his seven sacks. 

Two of them came in the Week 17 matchup against the New York Giants at Soldier Field. Gipson came unblocked off the right edge and obliterated quarterback Mike Glennon on the first snap of the game, causing a fumble that was picked up by teammate Bilal Nichols. 

Gipson finished with two sacks and two forced fumbles in a 29-3 beatdown, which means fans witnessed the 6-foot-4, 263-pound Marvel fan perform his sack celebration.

Gipson pays homage to his favorite character Thor by holding his hand to the sky to call for “Mjolnir,” Thor’s hammer, and hits the ground twice before throwing the pretend hammer back into the sky. 

Let 'em know, @trevisgipson ‼️#CHIvsLV | #DaBears pic.twitter.com/GdOeSkTMRF

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) October 10, 2021

Moving forward, the Bears are going to hope they can see a lot more of that celebration.

But Gipson will have to overcome some obstacles in 2022. 

First, he will have to transition back to playing as a 4-3 defensive end, which is what he played at Tulsa, after just getting acclimated to being a 3-4 standup edge rusher. And it’s likely Quinn — who finished with a franchise-high 18.5 sacks — won’t replicate the outstanding performance he had last season, which means there will be more pressure on the 24-year-old Gipson to perform.

Gipson has openly stated how much he has learned from Mack in the two years they were together. Now, he will get his opportunity to show this new coaching staff exactly what he can do.