Chicago Bears: 5 players to include in a Deshaun Watson trade
By Ryan Heckman
Chicago Bears trade candidates for Deshaun Watson: Roquan Smith
Maybe the toughest guy to see leave the Bears after this season would be All Pro linebacker Roquan Smith — no, not First Team All Pro, but that’s a touchy debate to have later on.
I'll leave this here:
— Zack Pearson (@Zack_Pearson) January 8, 2021
Roquan Smith — 139 total tackles, 18 TFL, 4 sacks, 2 INT.
Your 2020 All-Pro's:
Fred Warner — 125 tackles, 5 TFL, 1 sack, 2 INT.
Darious Leonard — 132 tackles, 7 TFL, 3 sacks, 0 INT.
Bobby Wagner — 138 tackles, 7 TFL, 3 sacks, 0 INT.
Yikes. #Bears
Smith had an incredible season for the Bears this year, finishing with 139 tackles and 18 of them for a loss, also adding four sacks. He’s blossomed into the true monster in the middle the Bears have needed him to become, and it’s a thing of beauty.
However, to get a player of Watson’s caliber, the Bears will need to pull out all the stops. If that includes Smith, then so be it. Watson is far too good a player to not be willing to trade Smith. The way it should be looked at: A top-10 quarterback is far more valuable than a top-10 linebacker.
The intriguing question when it comes to the Bears trading a top-tier defensive player is whether or not they would part with Khalil Mack, too. But, at this point, losing Mack may be equal to losing Smith. That’s how good the latter has played in 2020. He’s become a necessary part of this defense. Without Smith, the middle of the field is so much more vulnerable on the Bears’ side.
If the Bears centered a package around Smith, it would probably include him and a pair of first rounders, with potentially a later pick as well.