Everybody loves to reference the late, great Rodney Dangerfield when talking about somebody who gets no respect. If there is one player on the Chicago Bears roster who fits that description. It’s Roquan Smith. From the moment he entered the league in 2018, it was pretty clear the linebacker out of Georgia was something special. He flirted with Brian Urlacher’s rookie record for tackles. Then in 2019, he had over 100 tackles despite missing four games with injury. Yet his best performance was still to come.
Not enough people understand how good Smith was in 2020. The first linebacker to top 130 tackles in a season since Urlacher and Lance Briggs both did it in 2006. He also added five sacks and two interceptions. He was truly everywhere. Oh and he managed to do that without stud nose tackle Eddie Goldman in the middle. That should serve as a reminder of what might be coming this year with Goldman set to return. How high should expectations be?
Let Will Brinson of CBS Sports inform you.
Two good offseason DPOY bets based on top 10 @picksixpod convos w/ @JordanDajani + @TylerSully:
Darius Leonard 57-1
Roquan Smith 140-1Good value for stat monsters on teams who could win 10+ games. Odds are likely voters won't take Donald again. Look for a stat hog. Both smash.
— Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) June 25, 2021
Listen to next week's show with @JordanDajani talking about LB's — I legit had an old person moment forgetting how good Roquan was last year. I bet him DPOY two years ago at 100+ and it's just a good bet. He piles stats and the Bears could sneak into the playoffs sans QB
— Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) June 25, 2021
Subscribe to the BFR Youtube channel and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
The last Bears player to win Defensive Player of the Year was Urlacher in 2005. Since the award came into existence in 1971, only two Bears have won it. Both of them linebackers. Urlacher was one and Mike Singletary was the other. So Smith would be putting himself in some pretty elite company if he managed to pull it off. Having Goldman back will be a huge help and he’ll be playing some strong running games along the way. A great chance to rack up tackles.
The biggest challenge will be two things. Team success and the rest of the field. Aaron Donald has basically owned that trophy for the past four years. Topping that future Hall of Famer will be incredibly difficult. It’s also worth noting the last linebacker to win the award was Luke Kuechly in 2013. His stats from that season?
- 156 tackles
- 2 sacks
- 4 interceptions
Carolina went 12-4 that season and had the #2 defense in the NFL. That is likely the ballpark Smith will have to reach in order to get the necessary recognition.
Roquan Smith has plenty of incentive to accomplish this
Remember that he is playing for a contract extension this year. The Bears already picked up his 5th-year option but they likely have designs on making sure he’s locked up for the future. What they need to know is how much they have to pay him. If he happens to clinch Defensive Player of the Year in 2021? It’s a safe bet he’ll become the highest-paid insider linebacker in the NFL. That honor currently belongs to Bobby Wagner at $18 million per year.
GM Ryan Pace would probably love nothing better. Roquan Smith is looking like the best pick he’s made so far in his career. The first truly successful 1st round pick. That it turned out to be a linebacker is rather fitting for this franchise. This could be the year where he assumed full control of the defense. Something fans expected and hoped for since he arrived.
He certainly seems motivated.
He was the only defensive starter to show up for OTAs. His comments in front of the press had the feel of somebody who isn’t worried about the contract. Not because it’s of no concern but more because he thinks his play this year will take care of that problem. If new defensive coordinator Sean Desai puts him in good positions? This is going to be a fun season.
