If Roquan Smith wants to get the record-setting contract extension he so badly desires, he’ll have to cross off items on a list longer than Matt Nagy’s old play-call sheet.
Once he participates in team drills during practice, Smith will have to learn a different position, familiarize himself with new teammates and get in shape for the Bears’ Sept. 11 season opener.
And, maybe, play in Saturday’s preseason finale against the Browns.
Defensive coordinator Alan Williams wants Smith to play in Cleveland, but said that call will be made in consultation with general manager Ryan Poles, head coach Matt Eberflus, assistants and even Smith himself.
“I’m a little bit old-school in terms of, I like to see the guys out there,” Williams said Sunday. “I like to know what I’m getting, when I”m getting it.”
Smith has to practice during team drills first. For the second-straight day since Smith decided to end his “hold-in” without a contract extension, the linebacker participated in only individual activities Sunday. He did additional conditioning during 11-on-11 drills as part of his designed ramp-up period.
As talented as he is, Smith needs reps with the first team. He’ll start at the weak-side linebacker position after rotating between that spot and middle linebacker during the offseason program. The weak-side spot in a 4-3 defense requires a different viewpoint — and responsibilities — than Smith’s role as a middle linebacker in the Bears’ old 3-4 scheme.
In a 3-4, Eberflus said, middle linebackers have to take on blocking guards and fullbacks. In his 4-3 defense, they don’t.
“This is a hit-and-run position,” Eberflus said. “So you’re playing off the defensive linemen in front of you. Once you learn that, and how to play that way, you’ll be pretty good at it.”
Learning it takes snaps — in both practices and games.
“There’s a time clock,” Williams said. “There’s a shot clock. And if you don’t have a fast processor – which [Smith] does – it’s a little bit different. You just need that processor to be warmed up and tested, which he hasn’t had yet. But we’ll get him those reps.”
It’s one thing for Smith to identify formations, players in motion and audibles from the sideline or during meetings. It’s another for him to see it from his position on the field.
“It’s easy if we’re sitting in here and I go, ‘The guy motioned, here’s what the check was, or here’s what the call was,’” Williams said. “There’s a little bit of a difference in that and then going into a ballgame and having it be … right now.”
Williams snapped his fingers.
Smith won’t be able to snap his and be ready overnight. Smith should probably hire an agent in the meantime — there’s money at stake — though he didn’t sound like he would.
“At the end of the year, it’s going to be a big season for myself,” he said Saturday. “And also at the end of the season, there’s a lot of different directions things could go. So I know I need to put myself and my body in the best possible situation to succeed.”
In the next three weeks, Smith needs to master his on-field communication with new teammates. Five of the other 10 projected Week 1 starters weren’t on the Bears last season.
“I’m just happy that he’s playing ball again … ” said defensive tackle Justin Jones, who signed a two-year deal in March. “Even though he’s not on the field, he’s still a real vocal guy and he still makes sure guys are staying to the standard …
“Which is good to have — because that’s a guy that everybody trusts, that’s a guy that everybody feels comfortable around.”
Smith sat in on meetings during his “hold-in.” But this is different — his work is just beginning.
“There’s nothing like going out there and doing it live,” Williams said.
