The Chicago Bears defense is warning people they haven’t seen anything yet. Their tantalizing dominance through the first two weeks of the season is the talk of the NFL. It really kicked off on Monday night against the Seattle Seahawks where they put Russell Wilson under siege with six sacks and forced multiple turnovers. Khalil Mack, Akiem Hicks, and Danny Trevathan have been the big stories thus far, but what about Roquan Smith?
The #8 overall pick in the draft was somewhat forgotten the past couple months. No surprise since he’d been away from the team throughout training camp due to a squabble over his rookie contract. He also missed the entire preseason due to a minor hamstring issue that kept him out of the final two games.
It was for those reasons that he failed to start in the opener against Green Bay. He played just eight snaps. It wasn’t until the next week against Seattle that the team felt comfortable enough to give him the start. It seems this has provided enough of an impression to consider where he stands among the top defensive rookies in the NFL.
Roquan Smith sits in the top 5 best rookie defenders through two weeks
Chris Wesseling of NFL.com provided his list of the 10 best rookie defenders so far this season. Los Angeles Chargers safety Derwin James and Denver Broncos outside linebacker Bradley Chubb claimed the #1 and #2 spots respectively. No surprise given their play so far. The minor surprise was seeing Smith, despite all the setbacks, sitting strong at #4.
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“After missing training camp in a contract squabble, the 2017 Butkus Award winner came off the bench in the season opener, announcing his presence with a sack of DeShone Kizer on his first NFL play. Smith ascended to the starting lineup in Week 2, showing impressive closing speed and a knack for knocking ballcarriers backward in the open field. He’s a complete linebacker for the modern era, capable of hanging with scatbacks and tight ends in coverage while also teaming with all-word edge rusher Khalil Mack to spearhead Chicago’s swarming run defense.”
Overall, Roquan played a really good game, needs some seasoning obviously but his athleticism is apparent. This play he sees Wilson scrambling and closes in on the check down fast. Instant big upgrade over Kwitakowski pic.twitter.com/XNm5lSVuiY
— Windy City Sports (@ThreeGuySports) September 18, 2018
Smith made seven solo tackles in his debut against the Seahawks, which led the team. He made some mistakes but his speed, awareness and instinct were on full display. He should only get better as his comfort inside the Bears defensive scheme improves. Considering how quickly he’s been able to assimilate it already, that’s a scary thought.
Given the talent around him, it wouldn’t surprise if he still somehow managed to win Defensive Rookie of the Year.
