When the Bears let go of Roquan Smith — actually, think about that for a minute. The Bears, a team known for defense, especially linebackers, dumped a bona fide superstar middle linebacker just entering his prime. Crazy.
Anyway, when general manager Ryan Poles traded Smith to the Ravens in the middle of the 2022 season, there was little doubt he’d make the Bears regret it. Three All-Pro nods later, they surely do. Everyone could see Smith was elite, and he has been worth every penny of the five-year, $100 million contract the Bears thought was too pricey.
But the second-guessing has faded some amid the recent surge by Smith’s replacement, Tremaine Edmunds. Heading into the game Sunday at the Ravens, which will be the Bears’ first time facing Smith, Edmunds is having the better season with 61 tackles (eighth in the NFL) and three interceptions (second).
Edmunds has benefitted from coach Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Dennis Allen moving him from middle linebacker, where Matt Eberflus played him, to the weak side — switching spots with T.J. Edwards. It has been an ideal fit, creating opportunities for Edmunds to disrupt with his range, 6-4 frame and 83-inch wingspan.
“You’re seeing a guy that’s playing fast, playing confident,” Johnson said. “I’m seeing him come downhill and attack blocks in the run game. He’s pulling guys off double-teams on a regular basis. When it comes to the coverage . . . you’re trying to fit it into a tight window in the zones, [and] he’s just so darn long that his arm’s going to knock it down or tip it up, and you’ve got a problem.”
While Smith’s career has skyrocketed since he left the Bears, the quantity they received for him offsets some of the loss. Poles spent what would’ve been Smith’s money to sign Edmunds for $72 million over four years and pick up Edwards on a three-year, $19.5 million deal, and he used the second- and fifth-round picks from the trade to draft defensive tackle Gervon Dexter and linebacker Noah Sewell, respectively. Dexter started the last two seasons, and Sewell is a solid backup to Edwards.
Still, stars win championships, and there’s no questioning Smith’s impact. He was a phenom for the Bears and, in his eighth season, is only 28. He had seven interceptions, 20 pass breakups, a forced fumble, 16œ sacks and 607 tackles as a Bear.
He didn’t say much this week about facing the Bears aside from, “I’m excited about the matchup, for sure,” and reiterating his gratitude for his time with them. He has enough to worry about in trying to get the Ravens out of their 1-5 hole and get the defense, which has uncharacteristically allowed the most points in the NFL at 32.3 per game, back on track.
But given his combative exit, it’s safe to assume he’ll be extra-motivated. As he pressed for a contract extension in 2022, he sat out of practice for weeks, requested a trade and publicly called for chairman George McCaskey to intervene.
Two years ago, he raved about the upgrade in playing for the Ravens instead of the Bears and said, “Man, it makes me so happy just knowing my career is not going down the drain [by] playing somewhere where I’m not truly competing for a title.”
The Ravens are down at the moment, but his point stands. Since the trade, the Ravens have a 31-18 record, and they’ve made the playoffs three times and gone to the AFC Championship Game. Meanwhile, the Bears are 16-35 and already are on to another new coach and quarterback.
There’s no disputing Smith was right — first about the money he deserved, then about finding purpose in his career as part of a winner. He won the argument; now he gets a chance to make sure the Bears don’t forget it.
Smith vs. Edmunds
The Bears calculated that former linebacker Roquan Smith wasn’t enough of a game-changer to justify the five-year, $100 million contract he wanted and traded him to the Ravens during the 2022 season. They signed Tremaine Edmunds to a four-year, $72 million deal to replace him in the ensuing offseason. Here’s how the two have stacked up over the last three seasons:
Edmunds: 38 games, 284 tackles, eight interceptions, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, two sacks.
Smith: 36 games, 346 tackles, two interceptions, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, three sacks.
