ENGLEWOOD, Colo. _ The answer to whether Roquan Smith will play the season opener wasn't evident on the practice field Wednesday at Broncos headquarters.
But at least the Bears rookie inside linebacker began his ascent by practicing in full pads for the first time as an NFL player.
Smith sprinkled in with the reserves during team drills and called plays in the huddle. Nothing extraordinary, but it qualified as progress following Smith's 29-day holdout.
"It went very well," Smith said afterward. "I enjoyed it. ... I was just doing what I can, giving my best effort. I've just got to work myself into the best shape I can work myself into."
Coach Matt Nagy didn't offer a public assessment of Smith's performance because he oversaw the Bears offense for most of the practice with the Broncos. When Nagy met with reporters within 15 minutes after practice, he had not received a report from defensive coordinator Vic Fangio or position coach Glenn Pires.
"We'll go back tonight, we'll watch the tape and see how did ... mentally," Nagy said. "Did he do the right stuff? And then we'll talk to him. 'How did you feel?' And see how that went.
"And then we'll just kind of see if we can maybe sprinkle in possibly the same, maybe a little bit more, tomorrow. But he needs to be honest with us on how he was, and then we'll take the defensive coaches and hear where they thought he's at all things considered."
Smith ranged from the middle to the sideline on some plays, and it stands to reason that he'll play faster when he is more acclimated to the defense. There was no live tackling in Wednesday's practice, and that's the area in which Smith shined in college.
Nagy would not say whether Smith will play in Saturday's exhibition against the Broncos.
