The Chicago Bears exercised the fifth-year option on linebacker Roquan Smith’s contract earlier this month in a move that qualified as a no-brainer considering Smith’s continued ascent up the ranks of the NFL’s top young defensive players.
Despite a rocky start to his career after being selected eighth overall in the 2018 NFL Draft, Smith is one of the foundational players on the Bears’ defense. According to CBS Sports, he’s also one of the NFL’s top players under 25 years old.
Smith was ranked 15th.
“Maybe it’s because Chicago has drawn headlines for the wrong reasons at QB, or because Khalil Mack also plays on his side of the ball, or because he missed four games in 2019, but Smith doesn’t seem to get the elite props he deserves,” wrote CBS Sports Cody Benjamin. “When healthy, he’s a bowling ball at the heart of the Bears’ “D” — one of the game’s most steady tackling machines.”
Smith posted a career-high 139 tackles and 18 tackles for loss and a career-best grade from Pro Football Focus in 2020. With the departure of Kyle Fuller this offseason, Smith is now the second-most important player on Chicago’s defense aside from edge rusher Khalil Mack.
