The Ravens made a blockbuster commerce for Bears inside linebacker Roquan Smith on Monday, a day earlier than the deadline, to shore up the center of their protection.
To assist break down what sort of participant Baltimore is getting, The Baltimore Solar requested Chicago Tribune’s Bears reporter Dan Wiederer, who has coated the two-time All-Professional since he entered the league, to reply three questions on Smith.
Is there any probability he turns into a distraction for the Ravens?
Dan Wiederer: It’s onerous to think about Smith turns into a significant distraction to the Ravens over the following 10 weeks. He has proven a capability to separate his contract wishes and disappointments from his duty to his teammates and coaches. That’s why, even after a tense summer time contract squabble with the Bears, Smith discovered a technique to produce within the first eight video games — turning into the league’s main tackler whereas contributing 2 1/2 sacks and two interceptions. The Ravens ought to be getting a participant who stays motivated to show he ought to be rewarded as top-of-the-line playmaking defenders. In order that’s the place Smith will put a lot, if not all, of his focus from now till season’s finish. Any potential distraction he may trigger is a minimal of 4 months away.
What worth does he add to the protection on passing downs?
Wiederer: Smith has lengthy been valued by his coordinators — and he had 4 in 5 seasons in Chicago — as a three-down linebacker with the flexibility to contribute in all aspects. He might be utilized as an efficient blitzer when wanted and has strong protection expertise. Each of his interceptions this season got here in large moments late in video games, one which arrange the game-winning discipline objective to beat the Texans and the opposite to assist seal an upset of the Patriots on “Monday Night time Soccer.”
How did you anticipate the Bears to deal with him in free company?
Wiederer: One of the best-case state of affairs is they may discover widespread floor on his true price and hammer out a long-term extension that may have allowed him to stick with the Bears as a constructing block. There was by no means a lot critical consideration for utilizing the franchise tag on him as a result of it’s fairly darn costly for an inside linebacker and would solely have heightened Smith’s discontent about not having a long-term contract. It’s nonetheless a little bit of a shock in Chicago that Smith and a brand new regime couldn’t get on the identical web page. He’s solely 25 and already a two-time second-team All-Professional. However at this time’s sport requires grand investments in quarterbacks, go rushers and receivers greater than it does off-the-ball linebackers. The Bears made a calculated choice in that regard and it’s now Eric DeCosta’s flip to play “Let’s Make A Deal.”
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