The Chicago Bears traded star linebacker Roquan Smith to the Baltimore Ravens for 2023 second- and fifth round picks, along with linebacker A.J. Klein.
General manager Ryan Poles made a huge statement in trading two of the Bears’ defensive leaders in Smith and Robert Quinn (who was dealt to the Philadelphia Eagles last week). Poles is rebuilding for the future, and Chicago now has nine draft picks heading into 2023.
Oh, and apparently, Poles might not be done just yet in the trade market — whether that means trading away other assets or acquiring a receiver — before Tuesday’s 3 p.m. CT deadline.
Our Bears Wire staff is sharing their thoughts on Smith’s departure and what it means moving forward.
The Bears trade Roquan Smith to Ravens
Alyssa Barbieri
I always thought there was a possibility that the Bears could trade Roquan Smith ahead of the trade deadline, especially after GM Ryan Poles made it clear he was clearing the roster after trading Robert Quinn. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t shocked that Poles actually went through with it.
Smith has been one of my favorite players, and he embodied everything that Bears fans have loved about fan-favorite players. The hope was Smith would add his name to a list of legendary Bears linebackers in Dick Butkus, Mike Singletary, Brian Urlacher and Bill George. Smith has no doubt earned a massive contract extension, it’s just not going to come in Chicago.
The Quinn trade didn’t come as too much of a surprise, and it made too much sense. After all, he’s an aging veteran that didn’t factor into the future plans for this team. But Smith is in his fifth season, and he’s emerged as a top linebacker in the NFL. Even despite the contract dispute in the summer, I was confident that Smith would be on the roster come 2023 — especially with the franchise tag at Chicago’s disposal. But he hasn’t been at his best — outside of two games — this season, and Poles saw an opportunity to acquire two additional draft picks for 2023.
Poles made a huge statement withe the Smith trade, and you have to respect the fact that he has a clear vision for what he’s doing with this roster. Poles is all-in on this rebuild, which hopefully equates to him investing heavily on offense (around Justin Fields) rather than defense, like previous regimes. After all, how many Super Bowls have the Bears won because of defense since 1985?
Brendan Sugrue
The moment I saw Roquan Smith had been traded, I was hit immediately by a wave of sadness. We all knew something like this was coming sooner or later, but the realization that a building block was removed from the team is tough. Smith was supposed to be the next great Bears linebacker, picking up the torch that players like Dick Butkus, Mike Singletary, Brian Urlacher, and Lance Briggs carried before him. It’s not like he’s a bad player or anything. Just that he didn’t fit the new mold of what the Bears are doing. It’s also a stark reminder that we’re a long way away from the good vibes of that 2018 season with just one starter now remaining from that defense.
But after that initial reflection, I was relieved that general manager Ryan Poles continued to stick to a lane. Too often, we see teams across all sports take half measures to improve slightly, only to get burned later down the road. After the failed contract negotiations this summer, it was clear Smith’s time in Chicago was coming to a close one way or another. At least Poles got a decent return for him from the Baltimore Ravens, considering he’s only guaranteed nine more games this year before becoming a free agent.
As a die-hard Chicago Cubs fans and seeing how former president Theo Epstein built that World Series team, I can appreciate Poles’ approach. He’s stripping the team down to the core foundation and building it back up, just like Epstein did with the Cubs. The Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn trades were one thing, but this is a player entering the prime of his career. We haven’t seen a Bears team operate like that before. It’s a gamble, but it’s one that’s worth making in the end.
Ryan Fedrau
Roquan Smith being traded doesn’t surprise me — the return on investment does. I would have liked to see a little more given back to Chicago, but this has the potential to be a good deal, considering the two sides couldn’t come up with an extension this offseason.
Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus are cleaning up house and rebuilding a team to fit their mold. It’ll be interesting to see what their next moves are with hours left before the deadline. I like that they’ve added draft capital, though. They have a lot of money to spend this offseason, too.
