Roquan Smith has played at a Pro Bowl level before but will this finally be the year he gets it?
Roquan Smith has never made a Pro Bowl during his four years in the NFL. It’s kind of shocking to think about, as Smith has been all over the field making plays for the Chicago Bears defense. One analyst thinks Smith has the best shot on the Bears to make the Pro Bowl as a first-time inductee.
Smith has a whopping 524 combined tackles and 14 sacks in his career. Bobby Wagner and Micah Parsons were voted in over Smith at the inside linebacker position in the 2021 Pro Bowl. This came even as Smith had the fifth-best tackle total in the league.
This season might be Roquan Smith’s time to finally get the honor according to NFL writer Nick Shook. Shook named Smith in his article that listed “one potential first-time Pro Bowler from each NFC team.” Here’s what Shook wrote about Smith:
Smith has earned two second-team All-Pro selections, yet he hasn’t received a Pro Bowl nod to this point. Something is off with that. The Bears aren’t expected to be a serious contender this season, but if we have to pick a player with the best chance of reaching the Pro Bowl on Chicago’s roster, the obvious choice is Smith. I mean, the rest of the football world is going to get wise eventually, right?
Roquan Smith doesn’t get the credit he deserves
The football world might not get wise to Roquan Smith. That’s okay because he does just fine flying under the radar. Smith has been asked to play hard assignments for the Bears who have weathered injuries such as Khalil Mack during his time with the Bears.
There are a few things Smith needs to tidy up in order to impress Pro Bowl voters He could improve his pass rush and pass coverage. PFF, who just has an ax to grind with the Bears, grades Smith at 47.1 overall. It’s an insane grade because Smith is graded as the worst player on the Bears’ defense… He’s at the top leaderboard in tackles in the NFL.
The Bears are going to have a downer of a season all over the field. It would be great to at least see some positive things like Smith making his first Pro Bowl. Maybe he’ll be joined by Bears newcomers like Justin Fields in his second season. That would match the progress of where Mitchell Trubisky was in 2018.
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