Getty Roquan Smith is the leader of Chicago's defense. Should the team entertain trading him?
The Chicago Bears traded their 2022 first-round draft pick to the New York Giants in exchange for quarterback Justin Fields last year, and now, priority No. 1 is setting the young signal-caller up for success.
Fields threw for 1,870 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions during his rookie season, also rushing for 420 yards and two scores. He had issues with ball security, fumbling 12 times (he recovered four of those), but there were also moments where he displayed poise, toughness and a big-time arm.
Now, he just needs weapons to throw to and an offensive line to protect him. Anthony Treash of Pro Football Focus detailed ways in which the Bears could help Fields both add an impactful wide receiver while also fixing a porous offensive line that led the league in sacks allowed last season (58). Unfortunately, in order to get some quality players on offense, Treash thinks the Bears have to give up one of their most promising pieces on defense: linebacker Roquan Smith, who turns 25 in April.
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PFF Suggests Trading Smith to Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles have three picks in the first round in the upcoming draft, and Treash thinks Nick Sirianni and company would be willing to part ways with one of them in exchange for Smith, who is also up for a contract extension.
Here’s Treash’s reasoning for posing a Smith-Eagles trade:
One potential scenario is sending off-ball linebacker Roquan Smith to the Philadelphia Eagles for one of their three first-round picks. Smith is seeking a contract extension, yet the former top-10 pick has generated negative PFF WAR throughout his four-year career. This past season, he earned a 46.3 PFF grade that ranked 71st of 96 qualifying off-ball linebackers. While tackles are an improper way to evaluate linebacker production, Smith’s prowess in that facet should command significant draft capital. If the Bears pull off such a trade, they could then attack the offensive line and wide receiver with their two top-40 picks. It would also open up $10 million in cap space for 2022.
Treash then broke down how the Bears could nab a play-making wideout — perhaps one with a connection to Fields — in addition to a solid o-lineman in the draft this year.
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Smith Is One of Few Valuable Trade Chips the Bears Have
Smith had 163 total tackles last season, which ranked fifth in the NFL. He also had 12 tackles-for-loss, 3.0 sacks and his first defensive touchdown. He has been arguably one of the best young linebackers in the league since the Bears drafted him eighth overall in 2018, and Treash thinks the Bears could benefit greatly from a pick in the first round this year. Trading Smith may be the only way to get it.
Smith is already a proven commodity in the NFL. It would be a risk to draft a player in the first round in exchange for someone who could lead your defense for years to come. That said, it could be worth the risk for Chicago, particularly if they could land a game-changing receiver or one of the best offensive linemen in the draft.
“Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum, who broke the PFF College record for highest single-season grade by a center in 2021, or Ohio State wide receiver Chris Olave, who ranked top five in deep receiving touchdowns from 2019 through 2020 with Fields as his quarterback, are best-case options with that newly acquired first-round pick,” Treash added.
“Chicago could then eye either Boston College interior offensive lineman Zion Johnson or Penn State wide receiver Jahan Dotson in Round 2, depending on the initial selection.”
It’s a tempting proposal, and certainly more realistic than some that have been floated in recent weeks. That said, it’ll come down to what new general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus want to prioritize — and we’ll know that soon enough with the draft mere months away.
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