The Chicago Bears will have two representatives in the Pro Bowl this season. They are outside linebacker Khalil Mack and kick returner Cordarrelle Patterson. For Mack, it is his sixth honor in a row. Through 14 games he has eight sacks, three forced fumbles, and an interception. Patterson has 942 return yards including a touchdown this season, besting his 2019 numbers. Yet the bigger story is how one of their teammates won’t be joining them. That being Roquan Smith.
The third-year inside linebacker has been nothing short of stellar in 2020. Through 14 games, he is 4th in the NFL with 128 tackles and also has four sacks. He’s first among off the ball linebackers with 17 tackles for a loss. Smith has been everywhere. So for him to be left off the Pro Bowl list is nothing short of a travesty.
Especially considering who got in ahead of him.
One is Seattle Seahawks mainstay Bobby Wagner who has fewer tackles (126), tackles for loss (7), and sacks (3) than Smith. The other is Fred Warner who is an even more egregious case. He has just 101 tackles with four tackles for loss and no sacks. How could people possibly justify those two getting the nod ahead of Smith? Especially since he plays on a higher-ranked defense.
As usual, the Pro Bowl is proving to be less a measure of the actual best players at a given position during a season and more a popularity contest. That is why it will be interesting to see if Smith claims All-Pro honors. That could prove difficult since Tampa Bay Buccaneers standout Devin White leads him in both tackles (130) and sacks (8). Combine that with the Bucs having a better record? It feels like Smith will go another year being criminally underappreciated.
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One person thrilled with Roquan Smith? GM Ryan Pace
Remember he’s been under fire for some time thanks in large part to a lot of high-profile misses in previous drafts. Especially in the 1st round. Kevin White was a bust. Leonard Floyd was a disappointment. Mitch Trubisky hasn’t lived up to the hype. Pace’s first three 1st round picks have failed to deliver. Smith appears to be the first one who genuinely looks like a budding star. Something the embattled GM can hang his hat on with his job status still in question.
Roquan Smith doesn’t have to sweat the details too much. This season has basically secured him his 5th-year option in 2022 and perhaps even a contract extension in the near future. This year marks the third-straight where he has topped 100 tackles in a season. This despite missing four games last year with a pectoral injury.
Smith is the real deal. Somebody the Bears can build around moving forward.
If he continues to play like this in the coming years, it’s only a matter of time before the Pro Bowl voters catch up. That tends to happen with great Bears linebackers. This guy had a huge legacy to live up to when he arrived and he is doing that. A testament to both his talent and his work ethic.
