Chicago Bears: Roquan Smith should make a leap in Year 2
Chicago Bears linebacker Roquan Smth had an excellent rookie season in 2018 despite not having offseason training. In 2019, he should make a bigger splash.
The Chicago Bears selected linebacker Roquan Smith with the eighth overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Bears Nation was excited to watch perhaps the franchise’s next great linebacker. Then, he and the team had a problem with the language of the contract and he had a lengthy holdout.
That holdout ended up costing him nearly the entire preseason. He finally signed his rookie contract just before the last preseason game but wasn’t ready to play at that point with so much time missed. There was cause for concern — would the holdout hurt his rookie season?
Once the regular season began, we had our answer — a resounding no. Smith was just fine and had an excellent rookie season by most metrics. He fit in just well in the Bears’ elite defense. He finished the season with 121 tackles, five sacks, 12 pressures and an interception. Additionally, he showed his pass coverage skills by recording five passes defensed.
The biggest thing about Smith’s rookie season was that he improved as the season went on. In the first half of the season, he recorded two sacks and 53 tackles. In the second half, he recorded three sacks, 68 tackles and an interception. That continued into the playoff game, where he shined with seven tackles and an interception.
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For his work, Smith was named to the All-Rookie team. All the negativity that arose from the holdout was erased. This offseason, however, there was nothing preventing Smith from participating in OTAs and minicamps. He participated fully and is ready for the start of training camp. With a year under his belt and participating in offseason work, Smith should have another tremendous season ahead, making another leap forward.
Expectations are high for Smith in 2019. On the Monday Morning NFL Podcast, Andy Benoit and Gary Gramling ranked the top ten linebackers in the league. They had Smith ranked sixth, tied with Jaylon Smith of the Dallas Cowboys.
Also, many expect Smith to make the Pro Bowl this season. Mark Sessler of NFL.com made that prediction recently:
"Khalil Mack, Akiem Hicks, Kyle Fuller, and Eddie Jackson all made the Pro Bowl a year ago. It’s no stretch to suggest Smith will be next after logging 121 tackles, five sacks and 12 pressures as a first-round rookie. He made leaps as the season crept along, boasting tangible pass-coverage skills and playing one of his most impressive games all year in Chicago’s tight playoff loss to the Eagles. Smith’s finest days are ahead."
Smith has people he can go to if he ever needs help. The Bears boast about having the greatest number of linebackers who’ve made a sizable impact on the history of the NFL. Smith can contact some of the best to ever do it in Dick Butkus, Mike Singletary and Brian Urlacher to receive advice.
If Smith does follow up his rookie season with a Pro Bowl sophomore campaign, the Bears defense won’t experience the regression that many envision. With Khalil Mack, Akiem Hicks and (hopefully) Leonard Floyd doing their work, Smith may see some open space to attack.
With new defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano’s aggressive style, we’ll see Smith attacking the backfield even more. Also, he’s shown he could cover so he could do some more of that this season. He makes the Bears defense even more dangerous than before.
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While Smith had a terrific rookie season, there is room for improvement. He had 11 missed tackles, second-most on the team. He also got caught overthinking and gave up some key big plays. These were typical rookie mistakes, however. Rookies tend to overthink things. Once players have some experience, guys tend to play more naturally. Now that he went through a season at the pro level, he has a better idea of what to expect on the field.
We all expect big things from Roquan Smith. I believe he’ll come through and have another stellar season. He will have an even better season than he had in 2018 and we’ll be talking about the Chicago Bears having another legendary linebacker sooner rather than later.