The Bears prepared for the start of training camp not knowing whether three of their most important defensive players would report on time, but general manager Ryan Poles said defensive end Robert Quinn, linebacker Roquan Smith and rookie safety Jaquan Brisker were at Halas Hall on Tuesday.
There remains a question as to whether they’ll practice. Smith and the Bears are in a standoff about his contract as he enters the final season of his rookie deal, and it’s very possible he will be a “hold in” by showing up for camp but declining to participate in some or all field work.
“I don’t know what his intentions are,” Poles said.
Things seem to be good with Brisker, who is the team’s only unsigned draft pick. The Sun-Times reported Monday that the contract issue has been settled, but the team has yet to announce the signing.
Poles said he greeted him with a hug when he saw him Tuesday.
There had been plenty of intrigue as to whether Smith and Quinn would arrive with the rest of the team’s veterans.
It was unsurprising to see Quinn opt out of voluntary practices in the spring, but it raised concerns with the Bears when he no-showed for mandatory minicamp last month. Quinn indicated he planned to work on his own in the offseason, but it was unclear why he skipped minicamp and left himself open to be fined $95,877.
When Quinn was in town to accept the Brian Piccolo, he said he hoped the team would keep him for the upcoming season.
“Hopefully my résumé or my production from last year gives me a little weight to keep my foot in the building,” he said. “[But] it’s a business... I didn’t expect to go anywhere, or want to go anywhere, but this is a crazy business.”
Quinn, 32, set the franchise record with 18.5 sacks last season and is entering the third season of a five-year, $70 million deal. He is their most expensive player at a $17.1 million salary-cap hit.
Smith and the Bears seemed inevitably headed toward a contract extension in the offseason as both sides expressed desire to get one done, but it hasn’t happened. The team was unsure Monday whether Smith would report Tuesday and practice Wednesday without a long-term deal in place.
“I still love the player and the person,” Poles said Tuesday before adding that he didn’t want to answer questions about the contract impasse.
