The Chicago Bears are hitting the road for their second preseason game Thursday night against the Seattle Seahawks.
But Brad Biggs’ weekly Bears mailbag leads off — again — with a player who won’t be in uniform, disgruntled linebacker Roquan Smith.
Let’s cut through the drama of the Roquan Smith situation. What really matters right now and how will a deal to keep him with the Bears be done? — Frank, Pittsburgh
What fun would cutting through the drama be? We need the knife of a master chef to slice our way through this. When you boil down this situation, the Bears hold the most leverage and the leverage that really counts. They have Smith under contract this season and also have the franchise tag available for 2023. Smith’s only recourse once the season begins is to withhold his services, and that’s when he would start losing money. He’s not missing out on paychecks now and I doubt the Bears are issuing any fines because that wouldn’t be a productive way to get a deal done with their star linebacker.
If deadlines spur action, the season opener on Sept. 11 is the date to watch. Obviously Smith needs to be on the practice field before then to show the coaches he’s ready to roll. Coach Matt Eberflus indicated that Smith will travel with the team to Seattle for Thursday’s preseason game and that Smith remains “engaged.” That’s a positive sign amid some head-scratching developments, such as a non-NFLPA-certified representative trying to gauge trade interest with other teams on Smith’s behalf. We’ll see which direction this heads, but I believe the Bears hold the upper hand in this negotiation.
Is Teven Jenkins going to wind up winning the right guard job? — Chris V., Palos Heights
The door is open for Jenkins to push for the job. He lined up with the first team at right guard in practice Tuesday, which indicates there’s a good chance he starts Thursday night in Seattle. Jenkins had a rough go in one-on-one pass-rush drills from my vantage point, but it’s a new position and he has to settle in. Action happens much quicker on the inside, so it might take some time for him to adjust.
Michael Schofield was signed before training camp to a one-year contract for the minimum, so it makes sense for the Bears to evaluate a younger player with the ability to improve. I don’t know if the Bears did Jenkins any favors by waiting this long to slide him inside, but he needs to prove he’s a good fit as the team searches for its best five linemen.
I’ve heard the Bears only get a second-round pick for Roquan Smith. Why not force his hand this year by saying no, just go play, but we’ll let you walk out the door next year? Then the Bears get a compensatory pick anyway. Is anyone saying that in the media? Isn’t that how it would work? — Ned R.
I assume you’re saying the Bears might get only a second-round pick in return if they were to trade Smith. You’re probably not far off. I don’t think a team would surrender a first-round pick for a linebacker, especially one it would have to give a big contract in order to keep. So my guess is they might get a second-round pick and perhaps be able to haggle for a little more — if they explored trading him.
Smith would factor into the equation for 2024 compensatory draft picks, but keep in mind that formula measures a team’s net gains and losses in free agency. So if the Bears signed a bunch of free agents — and signed one to a huge contract — it’s not a given general manager Ryan Poles would add a plum third-round compensatory pick when all was said and done. I don’t think the Bears are examining the Smith situation in terms of a future compensatory pick.
If they’re playing the what-if game looking far down the road, maybe they would use the franchise tag on him after this season and then try to trade him. That might be a better way of getting better value for Smith if contract talks fall apart and they opt to keep him for the 2022 season.
Have you seen that the “HITS” mentality applies to not only players but coaches and personnel? For example, I get the impression that all coaches are expected to pay close attention to details and provide immediate feedback. No “loafing” there either? — @bearingdowngirl
No loafing when the coaches have to grade practice film each day. Matt Eberflus has talked at length about his system to grade everything, so that means the coaches are doing homework to produce those grades on a daily basis. It’s a little more labor-intensive than a teacher who has to grade maybe a couple of quizzes and one test a month — and I’m not saying teachers don’t have an overabundance of work too.
Does Lamar Jackson have a shot to be the outside cornerback across from Jaylon Johnson strictly due to him being healthy unlike Kindle Vildor and Duke Shelley? — @dabears12316244
Vildor returned to practice this week, a good sign for him as he has a chance to impress this coaching staff. I don’t see Jackson as a viable starting option in Week 1 unless more injuries hit the secondary. However, he has taken advantage of chances to be the “next man up” throughout training camp, and that might give him a shot to make the 53-man roster. He has good size at 6-foot-2, 208 pounds, and he got a little experience in 2020 with the New York Jets. The thing to keep an eye on here is the health of other players such as Shelley, Tavon Young, Thomas Graham Jr. and other cornerbacks who have been dinged up.
Any clues from the club on how much the starters will play against the Seahawks on Thursday night? — @jazz_trpt
My advice is to be settled in for the 7 p.m. kickoff because if you’re late, you might miss them. Matt Eberflus said the plan is for most starters to play only six to 10 snaps or perhaps two series. He said the concern is the five-day turnaround between games, and he wants to keep his players healthy and fresh.
The five-day turnaround isn’t unprecedented in the preseason for the Bears. They had a couple of recent instances (2017 and 2018) with five days between the third and fourth preseason games. That wasn’t such a big deal as teams weren’t playing any starters in the final preseason game. However, in 2012 the Bears had a home preseason game against Washington on Aug. 22 followed by a road game against the New York Giants on Aug. 27, then one more in Cleveland on Sept. 1. That was three games in 11 days.
Why did the Bears run such a vanilla offense in the preseason game against the Chiefs? The usual explanation is that teams keep most of their offense under lock and key to limit other teams from putting together a defensive game plan during the regular season. But it is ridiculous to think other teams won’t game plan for Justin Fields to move around the pocket or run plays from a pistol formation. More importantly, the Bears need to open up the playbook during preseason to work out problems and see what works. Thoughts? — Jim A., Plymouth, Minn.
For starters, we’re talking about a really limited sample size. The offensive starters were in the game for three series and 18 snaps. What you saw is some core stuff in the offense. The offensive linemen need to practice some of the bread-and-butter run plays that offensive coordinator Luke Getsy will be calling. We saw Fields identify a pressure on the nice throw to the outside to wide receiver Tajae Sharpe.
Hate to break it to you, but it doesn’t sound like you’ll see much action from the starters Thursday night in Seattle. Matt Eberflus is concerned about overworking the players in a short week with a trip across the country, so starters might be on the field for 10 snaps or fewer. The preseason is an opportunity to work on core plays the Bears will be using, basic stuff in the playbook. It’s hard to “open up the playbook” when you have only 18 snaps and a handful are deep in your own end.
How many offensive linemen do the Bears carry on the roster into the regular season given Lucas Patrick might not be ready until Week 1? — @thevenerablev
Typically teams carry nine offensive linemen on the 53-man roster, and usually only seven are active on game days. The problem with carrying more than nine linemen is they don’t provide any value or flexibility for the special teams coordinator. Barring another injury on the offensive line, I figure the Bears will have nine. That would leave perhaps four slots on the practice squad for offensive linemen.
In your opinion, who do you think the Bears choose to become WR2 and WR3 behind Darnell Mooney? — @carolinabearfan
I would have put Byron Pringle in that mix before he was sidelined with a quadriceps injury. That’s based on the investment in him and his experience in the league. He still probably falls in that category, and based on usage in training camp, you have to think Equanimeous St. Brown has a good chance to get a lot of reps at the start of the season. Figure rookie Velus Jones works his way into the mix as well.
Deandre Houston-Carson has survived three Bears coaching staffs and a series of one-year contracts. Does he make the roster? — @stephenclapp1
I would be stunned if Houston-Carson isn’t on the 53-man roster. He’s the most experienced and best special teams player on the roster. If the Bears assign captains by unit, he has to be the leading candidate to have that designation for special teams. Houston-Carson also can fill in at safety or nickel back on defense. He signed for a guaranteed $1.77 million this season. The new staff was wise to bring him back.
Any updates on the new director of pro personnel and director of college scouting? — @georgeschimmel
It appears the Bears won’t have anyone with those titles after beefing up the front office under new general manager Ryan Poles. They hired Ian Cunningham as assistant GM, a title they haven’t handed out in some time. Instead of having a director of pro personnel, they have co-directors of player personnel in Jeff King and Trey Koziol. That makes it look like Cunningham, King and Koziol will divide and conquer when it comes to overseeing both pro and college scouting. Chris White has the title of assistant director of pro scouting and Breck Ackley is the assistant director of college scouting, so the Bears have forgone the director titles over those two silos in order to have co-directors of player personnel.
Who are the cornerbacks who have stood out to you? Who has disappointed? And which do you predict to make the roster? — @bearsfan1235
Jaylon Johnson has stood out since training camp opened, and that should surprise no one. Rookie Kyler Gordon has flashed when he has been on the field, and it will be interesting to see how he looks Thursday night in Seattle. Players worth attention in the preseason based on how much time they have had on the field in training camp include Lamar Jackson and undrafted rookie Jaylon Jones, who has been one of the few consistently healthy bodies at the nickel position. It’s disappointing that veteran Tavon Young has been injured for most of camp, but that sort of defines his NFL career. He has had trouble staying on the field. We should see more preseason action before we start predicting who makes it.
After watching one preseason game, am I seeing things through rose-colored glasses when I say the Bears look like a team that hustles, tackles, calls smart offensive plays and has five more wins in them than last year’s team? — @huskies714
Rose-colored? Those might be the finest navy-and-orange-tinted glasses you can find. Five more victories would make this an 11-6 team. If you have that much conviction, you should scoot over to the sportsbook and make a tidy wager because I’m sure the odds on such a season would have a handsome payoff.
I expect the Bears to be in the bottom quarter of the league on offense and, if everything goes well, maybe the middle of the pack on defense. Hustle, sure tackling and smart offensive play calling are hallmarks of good teams, and the Bears may be better in each category this season. I don’t think I’m being pessimistic by saying I don’t see them being five games better than they were in 2021.
Any chance linebacker Jack Sanborn makes the 53-man roster? How impressed were you with his performance on Saturday? — @just_acy
The undrafted rookie from Wisconsin maximized his opportunities in the preseason opener against the Kansas City Chiefs when he made five tackles, one for a loss, and had an interception, a fumble recovery and two tackles on special teams. Plenty of roster predictions have turned out very wrong based on one preseason game, but Sanborn certainly caught everyone’s attention. If he continues to be in the right place at the right time, he has a chance to make this team as a reserve with an eye toward special teams.
What is the trade value of Roquan Smith? If the Bears get a high second-round pick, I’m taking it. How about you? — @themaxconnor1
It’s hard to say what Smith’s value on the trade market would be because this isn’t the ideal time of year to be dealing a high-priced player. It’s much easier to make moves like this in March or April. I have one problem with the idea of getting a “high” second-round pick. I don’t see a team that expects to struggle in 2022 — and therefore would be picking near the top of Round 2 — trading for an off-ball linebacker. Why would a team that isn’t going to have a great season fork over a valuable draft pick and presumably then pay Smith what he wants when it knows it has many missing pieces on the roster?
The Bears would have a better chance, if Ryan Poles decides to try to trade Smith, of finding a team that believes it is a contender. That would mean potentially getting a low second-round pick in return. That’s why I’ve said I could see the Bears dealing Smith for a second-rounder and then haggling over another, later-round draft pick. Of course, that’s only if the Bears head down that path. We’re being a little premature because, at least publicly, Poles has shown no desire to consider a trade.
One of the more important but underrated components of Justin Fields’ development this year will be how quickly on average he gets rid of the ball. That was a knock on him coming out of college and was also true last year. He has a longer windup than average and if he’s not decisive with his reads, that can lead to sacks. Though he had a couple really nice throws in the first preseason game, his average was 3.4 seconds, which was similar to last year. Have you seen improvement in practice thus far and is this a point of emphasis with Luke Getsy? — Nick V., Glenview
It’s a big point of emphasis for the Bears, no question about it. They want Fields to operate more efficiently in the pocket and have the ball come out on time. That being said, I want to point out one thing. Fields’ rare athletic ability and movement skills will naturally lead to having more time to throw. He can extend plays with his legs better than the vast majority of quarterbacks by eluding defenders and at times fleeing the pocket. So you have to keep in mind that his time always will be skewed by what is actually a positive in his game.
To take major steps forward, he has to be able to read plays quicker in the pocket and deliver the ball on time, and we’ve seen him scramble more in training camp than I believe the coaching staff would like. Pulling the ball down and escaping the pocket can lead to some huge off-schedule plays. It also can result in him missing opportunities in the coverage.
“It’s just part of who we are and part of our makeup as an offense that we have our progression, we have our footwork and then we have the expectation of the play,” quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko said. “So what are we trying to get out of this play? What is the timing? What is everything around us? What’s this telling us, what’s that telling us? Going through your progression, going through your footwork, it’s just something we’re always emphasizing. That’s a constant emphasis.”
It’s also an emphasis for the other 10 players on offense. For a well-timed throw to happen, the protection has to be on point and the receiver has to be where he is supposed to be — and when — with hopefully a window for Fields to complete a throw.
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