The Chicago Bears defense got some much-needed good news on Saturday. After weeks of seeing their defensive leader on the sidelines, Roquan Smith officially returned to practice. He went through drills at the Walter Payton Center as the team was forced to move inside due to inclement weather. The big question here is what the move means. In all likelihood there are two conclusions to draw from it.
Either Smith and the Bears are close enough to a contract extension where he feels comfortable returning, or he’s accepted that the two sides aren’t close. That means he has a choice to make. Either play on the final year of his rookie deal or continue his hold-in into the regular season. The latter option could cost him millions of dollars in fines. Perhaps he hopes returning will help speed up the process of getting something done.
Either way, the Bears should benefit immediately from his return.
Roquan Smith returned to practice today for the first time since the start of training camp. https://t.co/C3fACRACHg
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) August 20, 2022
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Here’s a bit of what Roquan Smith did today pic.twitter.com/Mr7c624jK3
— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) August 20, 2022
Roquan Smith played every card he had.
He held out for most of training camp and even tried to pressure the Bears with a public trade request. GM Ryan Poles never budged from his original stance. He wants to work something out with the star linebacker. His policy is to reward homegrown players. The problem is the money. Both sides haven’t found that common ground on a number. Maybe they’re closer now. It is hard to imagine Smith returning without at least some assurance a deal is close.
Then again, he never had much leverage, to begin with. His situation became more complicated when Ryan Pace was fired. This regime didn’t draft him. Not only that but they’re implementing a new defensive scheme. One that Roquan Smith has never played in before. Throw in the fact he has no agent representing him, and it’s little wonder the process was muddied.
The Bears may want to see what he looks like in this system before throwing all that money at him. There is a strong chance answers will be forthcoming shortly.
**************************UPDATE****************************************
Sure enough, Ian Rapoport provided the details. It appears Smith is prepared to play out the season with no extension. No doubt he’s hoping to either convince the Bears to give him the money he wants or reach free agency.
#Bears star LB Roquan Smith, who returned to practice for the first time after an emotional and intense contract situation, now plans to play out his contract, I’m told. His deal runs through 2022.
He’ll be full go moving forward.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 20, 2022
Chicago still has the franchise tag in their back pocket for next year. So they maintain a large degree of control over the process. Smith also becomes more tradeable in the spring when teams are likely to be more interested in making roster changes.
Roquan still doesn’t get it. Still bad-mouthing the organization, albeit subtly, during his presser. A jerk. Must be nice to be pissing on the hand that’s feeding you while you’re still living in their house.
Or a 3rd option. Play so he can fake an injury to sit out and get paid. I wouldn't think that being an option but he's liable of anything at this point. Players lose trust with track records like that. I'm proud of Poles for digging in his heels either way. PACE would have shattered records with his signing and somehow lose picks in the process.