CHICAGO _ With flames bursting into the August air, Bears players sprinted out of the tunnel Saturday, a theatrical entrance to an otherwise ho-hum day. Behind the pack, prized rookie Roquan Smith walked to the home sideline in a pair of workout shorts and a navy blue Bears T-shirt.
For those hoping for a first glimpse of Smith in action at Soldier Field, the wait continues.
First a contract holdout. Now a left hamstring issue. The chances of building confidence or momentum for the regular season are disappearing by the day. The questions still linger.
When exactly will Smith be ready to play? How much has his development been hindered by missing so much time?
The Bears haven't closed the door officially on the possibility of Smith seeing at least some action Thursday in the preseason finale against the Bills. But given the bubble wrap coach Matt Nagy put around the rest of his important players Saturday, it seems unlikely the Bears would take a dramatically different approach assessing the risk-reward of turning Smith loose.
Furthermore, Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace might not even have a decision to make. Smith's hamstring tightness is worrisome enough that he didn't complete any of the team's three practices last week and did not suit up or go through any on-field warmups Saturday.
At some point, the No. 8 pick in the April draft is expected to enliven a defense on the rise. At this point, Smith has little anxiety about the jump he will be asked to make.
"I'll be ready as far as the mental side of things," he said this week. "It's not that big of a challenge."
Nagy's take: "For all of us, there's that anticipation in knowing what he can do once he's full go."
