After lacking the primary 15 practices of coaching camp due to contract discontent and requesting a commerce earlier this month, Chicago Bears linebacker Roquan Smith returned to the sector Saturday at Halas Corridor.
Two days after getting back from Seattle with a 27-11 preseason victory over the Seahawks, the Bears held a brief exercise contained in the Walter Payton Middle in Lake Forest. The shock twist got here with Smith taking part in his first observe since minicamp in June.
What this implies for Smith’s future in Chicago or what it displays in regards to the state of his ongoing negotiations with basic supervisor Ryan Poles was not instantly clear. The 25-year-old linebacker is, nonetheless, anticipated to talk with reporters Saturday night.
A two-time second-team All-Professional, Smith is taken into account to be one of many blue-chip gamers and a probably key constructing block for a Bears group within the early phases of an enormous rebuild.
Smith was the group’s prime draft choose in 2018, chosen No. 8 general, and shortly grew to become one of many protection’s extra productive contributors. Over his first 4 seasons, Smith recorded 524 tackles, 43 tackles for loss and 14 sacks to associate with 5 interceptions, one pressured fumble, one fumble restoration and one landing.
Smith reported to coaching camp at Halas Corridor on time in late July. However with discontent over the state of his contract talks with the Bears, he checked in with a vow to not observe till his future was clear. Smith did attend practices and the Bears’ two preseason video games, watching from the sidelines.
The group positioned him on the bodily unable to carry out listing July 27 however eliminated him Aug. 10, in the future after Smith issued a press release by way of NFL Community requesting a commerce and publicly expressing his displeasure with Poles and people on his negotiation group within the Bears entrance workplace.
“The brand new entrance workplace regime doesn’t worth me right here,” Smith mentioned within the assertion. “They’ve refused to barter in good religion, each step of this journey has been ‘take it or go away it.’ ”
Smith added that he “wished to be a Bear for my total profession, assist this group convey a Tremendous Bowl again to our metropolis. Nonetheless, they've left me no alternative than to request a commerce that permits me to play for a company that really values what I convey to the desk.”
The group’s subsequent determination to take away Smith from the PUP listing was a way of punching again and exercising leverage with a gap created to self-discipline Smith for declining to observe whereas wholesome.
Earlier than Saturday, Smith hadn’t taken questions from media members on his standing with the group or his viewpoint on negotiations because the spring.
Poles has been direct since his arrival in January that he believes in Smith as each a participant and as a pacesetter. In a really perfect world, Poles would like to measure Smith’s productiveness and potential inside the defensive system being put in by new coach Matt Eberflus earlier than solidifying his stance on the linebacker’s final worth. However the sport modified for the rookie GM when Smith expressed his intent to stage a coaching camp hold-in, a transfer that created extra urgency and stress for the Bears to discover a decision.
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