Chicago Bears: Roquan Smith one of the bright spots this season

Roquan Smith has been a bright spot amid the Chicago Bears’ downward spiral.

Things are very bad for the Chicago Bears. They are in the midst of a four-game losing streak and come out of their bye week playing against the Green Bay Packers, the leaders of the NFC North and Bears tormentors. Things could go from bad to worse.

There are bright spots, however. The defense is still playing at a high level. The unit is top ten in both yards (ninth) and points allowed (sixth). Additionally, the defense makes it tough for opposing teams to score touchdowns. It ranks second in passing touchdowns allowed and third in rushing touchdowns allowed.

One of the brightest stars on the defense is linebacker Roquan Smith. The third-year player is having a breakout season in 2020. In his rookie season in 2018, Smith recorded 121 tackles. He was on his way to passing that in 2019 but a pectoral tear cut his season short at 12 games.

This season, Smith already has 96 tackles in just 10 games. Also, he leads the NFL in solo tackles with 70 and tackles for loss with 15. He’s been all over the field making plays for this defense.

In addition to his tackling, Smith is also playing well in coverage. The completion percentage against him continues to drop. In his rookie season, quarterbacks completed 73.2 percent of their passes. That went down to 67.2 percent. This season, that percentage is 60.3 percent.

The average yards per completion against him has also dropped. It started at 9.8 yards in 2018 to 8.9 yards in 2019. This season, however, it took a precipitous drop. Opposing teams have gained just 5 yards per completion against Smith.

Roquan Smith is on his way to postseason honors with the Chicago Bears

With his stellar play, Smith is a shoo-in to earn his first Pro Bowl appearance. There has been talk about him also making an appearance on the league’s All-Pro first team.

Smith certainly deserves whatever honor he receives. He’s been the best player on one of the best defenses in the NFL. To rise above names like Akiem Hicks, Kyle Fuller, and Khalil Mack takes a lot and Smith has done that.

Former NFL quarterback and current Sunday Night Football analyst Chris Simms considers Smith one of the top inside linebackers in the league. Here is what he said about him, via NBC Sports Chicago:

"I think he’s in the conversation along with Darius Leonard, Fred Warner, I would say Myles Jack… Eric Kendricks… He’s in that group of the top-tier linebackers in football.His read and recognition skills are off the charts… He recognizes the hole just as quickly as the running back does, and he’s there in the hole before the running back is a lot of the time. That’s where I’ve seen a real jump in his game."

Smith also has another tag on him. He is now known as the only first-round pick in general manager Ryan Pace’s tenure in Chicago that has worked out. Pace picked wide receiver Kevin White, quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, linebacker Leonard Floyd and Smith.

White played in only 14 games in three seasons and racked up a total of 25 catches. Floyd is now in Los Angeles playing for the Rams and Trubisky is on the bench and looks like he’s on his way out of Chicago. The way things are falling apart at Halas Hall, Smith could be Pace’s final pick. It was a great one.

Smith rewarded the Bears for their investment in him. He’s having a breakout season and, barring injury, is on his way to extending the long line of all-time great Chicago Bears linebackers who are also all-time NFL greats.