Roquan Smith Looks to Silence Growing List of Critics

After two solid seasons, Chicago Bears linebacker Roquan Smith expects big numbers this year whether the critics see it or not

Not that Roquan Smith needed extra motivation, but the critics are providing some anyway.

Smith has been a Chicago Bears fan favorite, yet several websites have questioned his play. Chief among them was analytics site Pro Football Focus. Yet, when Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com is writing you off, the disrespect comes at an entirely new level.

It's the league website being critical.

"He gets washed out of running plays too often. His expected strength entering the league was in pass coverage, but he hasn't stood out there, either, sometimes getting taken off the field," Rosenthal wrote of Smith, adding, "...there just haven't been the impact plays expected from a top-10 pick. Perhaps this is the year Smith earns all that love."

Smith needs a big year to take a step forward because the fifth-year option is approaching for him.

"First and foremost, it's just about me," Smith said. "I've got a huge chip on my shoulder."

Smith led the Bears in total tackles over the last two seasons, but a missed game for a "personal issue" and then the season-ending torn pectoral muscle injury he suffered against Dallas in Week 14 have made this a comeback year of sorts.

"A lot of people counted me out," Smith said.

Smith said he's feeling 100% healthy at this point after getting to rehab at Halas Hall throughout the pandemic, and seems determined.

"I definitely feel like I'm in a great place right now, training very hard," Smith said. "I just feel like I have a lot that I have to live up to myself, my personal goals and then team goals and things of that nature, so I'm definitely just trying to make this year my best year possible, better than any of the other years I've had and just maximize myself because I know year three is a huge year for myself and my career so I've just got to make everything worth it and put it all on the line for myself and my teammates and my family."

Smith last year lowered his passer rating against when targeted by 20 points to 75.9, and lowered his completion percentage when targeted to 67.2% from 73.2% according to Sportradar.com, the NFL's official statistical partner. He was targeted 140 times in two seasons, so the numbers are not sketchy.

Besides leading the team in tackles each year, Smith also had a scant number of missed tackles. He missed on 3.8% last year as opposed to 9.7% as a rookie. By comparison, former Bears linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski missed 11.6% last year and Danny Trevathan 4.1% last year.

If the critics are circling, coach Matt Nagy thinks they need to take a rest.

"There are not a whole lot of conversations with him," Nagy said. "I talk to a whole lot of guys on this team, as a matter of fact I try to talk to everybody, and you try to talk to their position coaches and you always just try and make sure that each and every week everyone is in good hands. The conversations I've had with him have been great.

"Shoot, he's one of the guys that on my birthday sent me a Happy Birthday text. So there's a little personal story for you. Other than that, he's in a good place, all the Zoom meetings, it's good. I really like where he's at. He's growing. I really think he's going to have a good 2020."

If there are areas to improve at, Smith said he's more capable now of finding them and doing something about it.

"I feel like there are many ways, like how they say down in the south: 'There's many ways to skin a cat,' " Smith said. "So I feel like there is a lot of things that I just pick up on over the years, that maybe I didn't realize in Year 1 but maybe now in Year 3 or last year I picked up on.

"So I just feel like it's something that continues to progress. I just feel like I do feel like I study better now than I did as a rookie but that's just all about timing and actually knowing what to expect."

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven