Chicago Bears: 3 players whose stock soared in win over Panthers

3. LB Roquan Smith

I have been one of his biggest critics this season, but Roquan Smith came through in a big way against the Panthers. Prior to Week 6, there were missed tackles galore when analyzing his film. No matter what the professionals or experts might say, Smith has had a highly inconsistent season to this point.

It wasn’t until midway through the third quarter against the Bucs that Smith brushed off his mistakes and started to clamp down. Then, against Bridgewater and the Panthers, he continued his strong play.

In Week 6, Smith totaled 12 tackles and one tackle for a loss. The 12 tackles were the second-highest total of the season for Smith. He tallied 13 against Indy in Week 4, but that was also a game where he made some blatant mistakes and it was tough to give him the credit he was due.

As a former no. 8 overall pick, Smith has a huge bill to live up to. He’s shown flashes before, and his youth gives hope that he still has the potential to become an elite talent. The sideline-to-sideline speed has been a bit more evident the last two weeks, and that’s what drew many fans to watching him pre-draft back in 2018.

Going forward, he’ll have his hands full with some good teams in the coming weeks. If Smith continues to dominate, he’ll be able to pick up from the disappointing performance we’ve seen this season from Danny Trevathan.