Of the myriad holes in the Bears’ roster after general manager Ryan Poles’ first season, the biggest one was particularly self-inflicted, when Poles traded second-team All-Pro linebacker Roquan Smith to the Ravens at mid-season after failing to agree on a long-term contract.
It was the most curious move of a roster teardown that was otherwise welcome and necessary after Poles and coach Matt Eberflus were hired in January of 2022. Smith was pound-for-pound the best player on the roster they inherited. He was a proven All-Pro-caliber player, by the eye test and most analytics. He was still only 25 after four NFL seasons. And — not to be discounted — he was on the doorstep of Bears royalty as a standout linebacker, following the lineage of Hall of Famers George Connor, Bill George, Dick Butkus, Mike Singletary and Brian Urlacher.
That’s often the kind of player a new regime builds around — as Poles and Eberflus did on offense with quarterback Justin Fields. But Poles and Eberflus never embraced Smith and viewed him much more objectively than emotionally.
And as it turned out, while the contract impasse played a key role in Smith’s departure, he just wasn’t their type of guy. After Eberflus pointed to “ball production” as the key reason why Smith wasn’t worth the $20 million-a-year deal he was looking for, the Bears replaced him with a player who has even less ball production than Smith.
Tremaine Edmunds, the former Bills linebacker whom the Bears signed to a four-year, $72 million contract ($18 million per year), has seven takeaways in five NFL seasons. Smith had eight in four-plus seasons with the Bears.
Be that as it may, Poles likes the fit of the 6-5, 250-pound Edmunds in Eberflus’ scheme — especially in pass coverage. Edmunds, who made the Pro Bowl in 2019 and 2020 with the Bills, has 35 pass break-ups in five seasons. The 6-1, 236-pound Smith has 23.
“The length. The speed. The coverage ability in terms of just the space that he covers,” Poles said. “And Matt and his group think they can take him over the edge with some of the ball production.”
It remains to be seen if Edmunds will be a better fit for Eberflus’ defense than Smith was. But even to staunch Roquan backers, the totality of Poles’ exchange for Smith is intriguing. Here’s what he got:
- Tremaine Edmunds, a two-time Pro Bowl linebacker.
- A $2 million savings in annual average contract value.
- Rookie defensive tackle Gervon Dexter, acquired with the second-round draft pick (No. 53) from the Ravens.
- Rookie linebacker Noah Sewell, acquired with the fifth-round draft pick (No. 148) from the Ravens.
Already, Bears coach and teammates rave about Edmunds’ size and athleticism. “Boy is Tremaine long,” defensive coordinator Alan Williams said. “A lot of width. A lot of height. A lot of speed.”
But, for what it’s worth, Williams, Eberflus and others have been most impressed with Edmunds’ leadership — a key role in replacing Smith. The Bears’ defense clearly felt the loss of Smith, perhaps as much emotionally as physically. The Bears went 0-9 and the defense plummeted from 16th to 29th in yards and from 19th to 32nd in points allowed after Smith was traded.
“[Edmunds] really takes command in the defensive room,” Eberflus said. “He gives great suggestions and he’s very smart.”
Dexter might be the most intriguing part of the deal. The 6-6, 312-pound defensive tackle needs a little bit of work to transition from the defense he played at Florida to Eberflus’ scheme — he’s doing pilates, working on lower flexibility in addition to his stance.
But with his athletic ability — he’s a former five-star prep recruit who was ranked ahead of Jalen Carter coming out of high school — the Bears are excited about his potential, either at the 3-technique position or nose tackle.
Dexter will be a prime test of this coaching staff’s ability to develop a talented player to max out in their scheme. He figures to be in the rotation at defensive tackle from the start, with the potential for starter’s snap counts depending on how quickly he adapts. He’s already got one thing going for him — he looks like a H.I.T.S. principle guy.
“What I like most about him is his hustle — man, he hustles,” Eberflus said. “He’s got his track shoes on and he is running out there, which is great to see from a guy who is [6-6, 312].”
The 6-2, 246-pound Sewell — a brother of Lions Pro Bowl offensive tackle Penei Sewell — comes with some intrigue of his own, as a former five-star prep player whose draft stock suffered in 2022 with a new coaching staff at Oregon.
“He’s really instinctive,” linebackers coach Dave Borgonzi said. “He’s around the ball. He’s got good instincts. He’s a bigger guy … strong. He’s a really strong tackler. He’s got strong hands. He’s got a lot of upside.”
With Jack Sanborn still recovering from an ankle injury he suffered against the Eagles on. Dec. 18, Sewell received a good look in the offseason program and made plays. But Sanborn is still the starter as he works his way back at training camp “and then we’ll see what Noah can do to press him,” Eberflus said.
Dexter and Sewell give Poles additional personnel value to make the Smith-for-Edmunds “trade” work out. But the deal will be a high-profile test of Poles’ ability to find the right players for Eberflus’ defense, and the ability of Eberflus and his staff to make the most of what he’s got.
