Of the myriad holes in the Bears’ roster after general manager Ryan Poles’ first season, the biggest one was particularly self-inflicted, when Poles traded second-team All-Pro linebacker Roquan Smith to the Ravens at mid-season after failing to agree on a long-term contract.
It was the most curious move of a roster teardown that was otherwise welcome and necessary after Poles and coach Matt Eberflus were hired in January of 2022. Smith was pound-for-pound the best player on the roster they inherited. He was a proven All-Pro-caliber player, by the eye test and most analytics. He was still only 25 after four NFL seasons. And — not to be discounted — he was on the doorstep of Bears royalty as a standout linebacker, following the lineage of Hall of Famers George Connor, Bill George, Dick Butkus, Mike Singletary and Brian Urlacher.
