If you had to name two players that the Chicago Bears may trade this offseason it would have been Roquan Smith and Robert Quinn. So, it is not a huge surprise that as the trade deadline is nearing that the team found themselves heading to contenders, and the Bears added draft equity.
While Roquan Smith was a fan favorite, it made sense that this would be the time the team moves on. Here are five reasons why.
5. Roquan Smith was not living up to a new contract
When Roquan Smith demanded his trade, it was clear that he wanted to set the market at linebacker. He has been a good player, and while most would not see him as the top player at the position, they do see him as a top 5-10 performer, which means he will be next in line to get a big deal.
The new General Manager gave Smith a contract offer that Smith balked at, and then requested a trade. Both Ryan Poles and Roquan Smith decided that it was time for Smith to prove it on the field with a new defense in place.
Smith has had some moments. He played well in wins against Houston, and New England. However, overall he has been up and down. He made key mistakes in losses to the Packers, Giants, and Vikings.
Smith being up and down with some big ups is great, but not when you want to be paid like the best at your position. With that in mind, the Bears probably were smart to not extend him. Still, because Smith is making a lot of tackles, he is going to get a big contract, even if Chicago did not give it to him.
Chicago saw firsthand that while the tackles are great, the impact plays are not there. Now, some other team will pay for that. They saw that other teams would likely do it, so they moved on. That is why the trade makes sense.
4. Chicago Bears can do damage in round two
Most fans thought that Roquan Smith would get a first-round pick back. However, fans have to realize that the contracts involved matter. For example, in trading Khalil Mack, the Chargers have him signed for two more years at $55M. In drafting Jaquan Brisker with the pick that they got for Mack, they have him signed for three mot seasons at $6M total. That is a massive difference, and then you add in the age and the fact that Brisker will be in Chicago longer, and you can see the real value of draft picks.
Of course, you have to hit on them, but when the difference is about $25M per year in salary, and an extra year of team control, it gives even more margin for error. Ryan Poles did not hit on every pick, but his first draft was a success so far, and most players he took are contributing.
Ryan Poles wants to get as many chances to take as many high upside swings as possible. Adding a potential playmaker at a much cheaper cost than Smith would be a smashing success. Beyond that, while Mack is signed for two more years, the Ravens will have about 10 games to decide whether they want to extend Roquan Smith for the long term, or whether they just traded four years of a valuable salary for 10 games of linebacker play.
The trade starts to look much more fair in that light.
3. Chicago Bears are not tying up the salary cap until the time is right
The Chicago Bears just came back from a General Manager that they had to fire because he gave everyone a big deal. Danny Trevathan was a tough call, and he paid him. Jimmy Graham got paid, Eddie Jackson got paid, and Mack kept getting money tacked on to manipulate the cap.
It is one way of doing things, but pushing money down the line only means there will come a day to pay it. Ryan Pace did not care, though because he never had to pay the tab. This year, Ryan Poles is paying the tab.
He didn’t spend on purpose, he did it because he did not want to maneuver the cap anymore. He ate all of Ryan Pace bad decisions in one offseason when he could have kept pushing them off. Now, he has a clean cap.
When it comes time to spend, Ryan Poles will spend. However, it was not time for him to spend on Roquan Smith, especially when he did not draft him, and Smith was not quite playing elite when it came to making game-changing plays.
The Chicago Bears now enter the offseason with loads of cap space and a heap of draft picks. They are in a completely different position this year compared to last year, and now we can actually evaluate Poles. If he did not want to deal with the Ryan Pace era, we should give him that right.
2. Chicago Bears should get young on defense
The big winner of the Robert Quinn trade has been Trevis Gipson so far. He saw his snaps increase and got a start last week. Beyond that, the team should start to get Dominque Robinson more work as well. By trading Quinn, they got two young players more snaps. These players will be on the roster next year, and Quinn was not going to be, so it was better that they see what they have in these players.
The same can be applied with Roquan Smith. Against the Cowboys, we saw Jack Sanborn on defense for the first time. He started and got 13 defensive snaps. Is that coincidence, or did they ease him in, with thoughts that he would start the following week?
Okay, fifth-round Robinson and UDFA Sanborn are not getting fans all sweaty and standing in their seats. Still, these are players who will be on the team next year. If they can get anything that gives confidence, it checks one need off of the list at a very cheap price. If not, they gave their depth players needed experience. This is better than playing out the string with Smith and seeing him leave in the offseason. Then, they still have no clue what they have in Sanborn. Now, they will.
1. Chicago Bears have the long-term picture in mind
The Chicago Bears easily could have lied to themselves after a 3-4 start and a win against the Patriots. The team was right in the thick of a playoff hunt, and no teams were really standing out. Heck, they are still in the midst of things, and a few wins could change things dramatically.
They are sitting in a tie for second in the division. Still, we know this team is not quite a contender. When they step up in class we see that often. This is a fun team, but one that needs this off-season to play.
So, the Chicago Bears could have went in, and tried to make the playoffs, or they could have known who they were, and played the long-term game.
They have money to sign young players, and draft picks to get even younger. The timeline is not now, or maybe even not next season. Still, if they take a nice step next season, and they have cap space and picks to really go up a level, fans will finally understand then what was going on this season.
That is when they need the space, and that is not quite the timeline that Smith and Quinn are on. This makes sense for the Chicago Bears to trade him.