Smith
Courtesy of Bob Marquart (Flickr CC0)

The Chicago Bears have traded Roquan Smith to the Baltimore Ravens for second and fifth-round draft picks. This is Ryan Poles’ second major trade in six days. Last Wednesday, the Bears traded Robert Quinn to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Smith was the number 8 pick by former Bears GM Ryan Pace in the 2018 drafts. Since then the linebacker has totaled 20 quarterback hits, 47 tackles for a loss, 607 tackles, seven interceptions, and defended 20 passes. He has been with the Bears for 4 1/2 seasons.

The decision to trade Smith after he staged a hold-in during training camp amid stalled contract negotiations. The linebacker publically requested to be traded. He cited the team’s lack of valuing him as they refused to negotiate in good faith.

Eventually, the linebacker and Poles came to the understanding he would continue to play for the Bears without a new contract. This season the linebacker has totaled 83 tackles, four tackles for a loss, three quarterback hits, 2 ½ sacks, and two interceptions in eight games.

Trading Smith gives the Baltimore Ravens a key player for the middle of their defense. It also comes within 24 hours of the NFL’s trade deal deadline. Currently, the Ravens are 5-3 and are leading the AFC North.

At this time it is unclear if the Ravens will be signing Smith to a long-term deal or if they view this as a rental. This trade has many Bears and Ravens fans at odds. One person, Max Persellin tweeted, “Waste, Baltimore really isn’t that good, maybe marginally better than Chicago but they force Lamar to do way too much without surrounding him with help on offense. You can add all the defensive pieces in the world and that team still isn’t ready to compete in playoffs.”

A Bears fan named Kends replied to the NFL’s tweet, “I know we’re rebuilding but come on ?? This is basically saying this season doesn’t matter anymore so why should fans even watch? Our defense BLEW yesterday and now w/o him it’s only going to get worse unless we get some real talent.”

Written by Sheena Robertson

Chicago Tribune: Chicago Bears trade linebacker Roquan Smith to the Baltimore Ravens for 2nd- and 5th-round draft picks
The New York Post: Bears trade Roquan Smith to Ravens in NFL trade deadline blockbuster

Top and Featured Image Courtesy of Bob Marquart‘s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License

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