Overreaction Monday: Houston Texans at Chicago Bears

Chicago Bears Overreaction No. 1: Roquan Smith proved why he deserves his payday

16 tackles, two tackles for loss, and an interception.

For all my young readers out there, Roquan Smith is HIM.

This is the lowest overreaction out there, however, the reason it’s an overreaction is due to the opponent.

That said, I’m someone who ranks the Texans higher than the national media does, as they’re not as bad as many say. They have an offense with weapons and a frisky defense.

Sure, Davis Mills isn’t the QB1 of the league, but he’s a decent team away from having a good start to his career.

Entering the league in the 2021 NFL Draft, Mills was a standout at Stanford, and there were murmurs that he’d be the next Andrew Luck. Those murmurs were a bit overzealous, but Davis Mills is certainly a quarterback that the Texans should have confidence in.

Back to Roquan, though.

Roquan Smith, even if he plays an undervalued position, is more than just a linebacker. He’s more than just a guy that plays off-ball Will linebacker in the NFL. He’s a defensive standout that somehow does everything — besides sack the quarterback — really well.

They played a different type of linebacker, but in terms of defending the pass, Roquan Smith looks a lot like Brian Urlacher in the middle of the field.

Sure, Roquan Smith might only have six interceptions to Urlacher’s 22, but there’s a reason Urlacher is in the Hall of Fame.

Per season, Urlacher averaged 1.69 INTs/season, whereas Roquan averages 1.2 INTs/season. He might not be there yet, but maybe once his career comes to an end.

The Chicago Bears might as well give all $106,171,088 to Roquan Smith this upcoming offseason.