When Roquan Smith stepped in entrance of reporters Saturday afternoon after his first observe of coaching camp, the Chicago Bears linebacker stated he has as a lot on the road as possibly any participant on the workforce this season.
“Betting on myself,” Smith stated upon ending his 3½-week “hold-in.”
In enjoying out his fifth yr with the Bears after failed contract negotiations with common supervisor Ryan Poles, Smith leads our listing of 5 returning Bears gamers who face large questions this season.
1. Will Roquan Smith earn the payday he needs in his fifth season?
As the Bears inched nearer to the season, Smith didn’t see his state of affairs altering within the weeks forward. He and the Bears weren’t in settlement on a brand new deal. The Bears declined to commerce him, he stated. And Smith knew with out both of these strikes in place, he wanted to prepare for an important season for his future.
So Smith returned to observe over the weekend along with his consideration turned away from negotiations and towards soccer and what he can do to persuade the Bears — or one other workforce — he’s value the kind of contract he needs. The Bears would have the choice to make use of the franchise tag on Smith in 2023, however he famous that must be “a nice number next year.”
Smith, the No. 8 decide within the 2018 draft, was a second-team All-Pro in every of the final two seasons, a span during which he totaled 302 tackles, 30 tackles for a loss, 10 quarterback hits, seven sacks, 10 passes defended, a compelled fumble and three interceptions, together with a pick-six.
By not settling for the Bears’ provide, he’s betting he cannot solely produce persistently like he did in these seasons, but additionally keep wholesome and make sufficient game-changing performs to be paid as one of many NFL’s prime off-the-ball linebackers.
“I’m going to do it the same way I’ve always done it: 100 miles an hour and won’t let up,” Smith stated.
2. Can a giant yr for David Montgomery result in a brand new contract?
Montgomery is also in a contract season after speeding for two,808 yards and 21 touchdowns and catching 121 passes for 924 yards and three touchdowns in his first three seasons. That included one 1,000-yard speeding season in 2020 and 4 missed video games due to a knee harm in 2021.
There could possibly be large alternatives for Montgomery to thrive in Luke Getsy’s offense. But the 2019 third-round select of Iowa State stated he isn’t spending a lot time occupied with his subsequent contract.
“It’s going to take care of itself,” Montgomery stated. “I ain’t really worried about that. I’ve got bigger fish to fry. … Because at the end of the day, I’m trying to play football and have fun doing that. Everything else will take care of itself. I’ve got no worries in the world.”
Montgomery enters this season with a brand new view on life.
He was open throughout a media session earlier this month about battling psychological well being the final three seasons. He stated he created “unnecessary pressures” on himself. The information that he has a toddler on the best way triggered him to talk up that he was hurting, and he described himself as being on a “spiritual journey” to getting higher.
“It was more so with myself, not meeting the standards or the expectations that I put on myself, going back to creating those unnecessary pressures for myself,” Montgomery stated. “Lots of people don’t perceive being within the NFL, like us as people, we undergo plenty of psychological battles each day, however since we’re athletes and we’re professionals and we get some huge cash, that will get neglected.
“But at the end of the day, we’re still human beings and people forget about that. So for me, for a while, I masked it. I was just in a bad place mentally, how I was looking at life, how I viewed it. I was unhappy. But it’s on the up and up now, and I’m grateful and I’m blessed that God brought me here.”
3. Will the brand new teaching employees assist Justin Fields unlock his potential in Year 2?
Unlike Smith and Montgomery, Fields’ contract considerations aren’t imminent, however no query is extra intertwined with the Bears’ future success. And no participant on the Bears will probably be watched nearer for indicators of progress underneath Getsy and quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko.
For Bears coaches, maintaining Fields targeted on day by day enchancment is the very best method to such vital improvement.
“It’s one of the most critiqued positions in the world — I would say critiqued jobs in the world,” Janocko stated. “So it’s simply doing all of your job, understanding what it takes to achieve success, reemphasizing that day-after-day. Then selecting out little issues day-after-day to enhance on and at all times having a targeted space on what we’re going to get higher at at the moment.
“Whether it’s feet, whether it’s timing, whether it’s something about the X’s and O’s, but having a plan ready every day to say, ‘Hey, we’re going to get better at this today.’ When you focus in on smaller areas like that, then you see big jumps.”
In 12 video games and 10 begins as a rookie, Fields accomplished 159 of 270 passes (58.9%) for 1,870 yards with seven touchdowns, 10 interceptions and a 73.2 passer ranking. He was sacked 36 instances and rushed for 420 yards and two touchdowns.
It wasn’t a really perfect begin, partly as a result of Fields opened the season as Andy Dalton’s backup earlier than coaches threw him into the hearth in Week 3 and since Fields battled harm and sickness later within the yr.
But Fields has causes to be eager for development this yr — from Getsy’s offense that is likely to be higher tailor-made to Fields’ ability set to the teachings realized from his first season.
“I’m way more comfortable just being in the NFL this year and of course having played a year,” Fields stated. “I’m just going to keep working, keep stacking days and continue to get better at the small details each and every day.”
4. Can Teven Jenkins solidify a beginning spot on the offensive line?
Two weeks in the past, Jenkins won’t have made this listing after an undisclosed ailment early in camp and commerce rumors made him appear to be the potential odd man out on the road. Now, after his preseason debut at proper guard, it’s honest to surprise if Jenkins can salvage his future with the Bears at that place.
With Braxton Jones, Larry Borom and Riley Reiff competing at deal with, Jenkins moved inside final week, spent two practices at proper guard after which performed there in opposition to the Seattle Seahawks. Bears coach Matt Eberflus stated he turned in a “solid” efficiency.
“We were impressed,” Eberflus stated. “He did a nice job. Now he’s got to continue to grow at the position. Like everybody else on the team, he’s got a lot to work on. But he had a good first outing in there.”
Jenkins, a 2021 second-round decide, hasn’t had a simple begin to his profession, present process again surgical procedure throughout final yr’s coaching camp and coming again to play in simply six video games with two begins as a rookie. The odd begin to this camp didn’t assist, however maybe he has discovered a path to creating an impression with the Bears.
“He’s handled it like a pro,” Montgomery stated. “He doesn’t complain. He involves work day-after-day. I by no means heard him say something damaging in any method. Every time I discuss to Tev, it’s at all times, ‘I’m attempting to get higher, attempting to enhance myself so I could be the very best model of myself.’
“That’s super refreshing to see from somebody who handled the level of adversity that he did handle his first year.”
5. Can Eddie Jackson make the game-changing performs that stood out early in his profession?
Plenty of gamers might have taken this fifth spot, together with tight finish Cole Kmet and vast receiver Darnell Mooney, the 2020 draft picks who could possibly be in line for giant seasons.
But Jackson is an attention-grabbing case. He hasn’t had as a lot success since signing a four-year, $58.4 million contract extension in 2020 and now’s attempting to impress a brand new set of coaches.
He and Eberflus each known as this season a “fresh start” for the sixth-year security, who had 10 interceptions in his first three seasons and none in his final two. Jackson additionally had 5 defensive touchdowns in his first two seasons and one since, although he has had some known as again due to penalties.
He stated earlier in camp that he feels comfy “mentally, physically, emotionally” with the coaches, the scheme and the best way the workforce is working. Can the 28-year-old rejuvenate his profession and positively affect rookie security Jaquan Brisker?
“You can approach this (coaching change) different ways,” Jackson stated. “You can method it like, ‘Oh man, here we go, starting over.’ You can method it like, ‘Man, it’s a recent begin, new coaches — I’m all in.’
“I just feel like the years I had, I wasn’t satisfied with them, didn’t live up to expectations and standards that I set for myself. So to go out there this year is like a whole new start, whole new season, whole new team. I feel like a rookie coming in again, just learning, soaking up this game and leading my guys the way I work and the way I do things.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com