Chicago Bears: Five reasons to be excited for 2021
By Usayd Koshul
5. Roquan Smith will solidify his spot as a franchise cornerstone for the Chicago Bears
Make no mistake, linebacker Roquan Smith has developed into the player that the Chicago Bears envisioned he could become when they drafted him with the eighth overall pick in 2018 NFL Draft. Now, Smith is set to have his fifth-year option picked up by the Bears, ensuing that he’s with the team through the end of the 2022 season.
At just 23 years old, Smith’s first three seasons with the Bears have been remarkable. He’s got 361 tackles, 31 tackles for loss, and 11 sacks. Production-wise, his best year was 2020, which saw him 139 total tackles, 18 tackles for loss, and six quarterback hits.
With Smith, the key thing to keep in mind is that he’s only getting better. After being snubbed from the Pro Bowl and not being named an All-Pro in 2020, it’s clear that he wants to prove to the rest of the NFL that he’s one of the best inside linebackers in the game.
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Considering Smith is already one of the many faces of a star studded defense, another strong year in 2021 could vault him into conversation about being one of the best linebackers that the Bears franchise has ever seen. In other words, with another strong year in 2021, we could talk about Smith in the same capacity that of Dick Butkus, Mike Singletary, and Brian Urlacher.