The Chicago Bears were giving out treats in the form of star players on Halloween as they traded linebacker Roquan Smith to the Baltimore Ravens for a second and fifth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, as well as veteran linebacker A.J. Klein. The trade was general manager Ryan Poles’ latest and arguably most notable attempt yet at rebuilding the roster for the future. It’s the second deal the Bears have made in a week after trading defensive end Robert Quinn to the Philadelphia Eagles last Wednesday in exchange for a fourth-round pick.
Entering the 2022 season, Smith was viewed as the unequivocal leader of the defensive unit after other veterans such as Khalil Mack and Akiem Hicks moved on to other teams. But Smith and Poles got off to a rocky start due to a standoff with a contract extension. Smith was entering the final year of his rookie contract and wanted to be paid top dollar, but he and Poles couldn’t agree on a figure and Smith held out of most of training camp before returning just before the start of the regular season.
Now, Smith heads to Baltimore to help the Ravens keep the AFC North division lead and will become a free agent at the end of the season. The Bears, meanwhile, add two more draft picks to their arsenal to help them rebuild for the 2023 season and beyond. Smith finishes his Bears season with a league-leading 83 tackles, four for loss, 2.5 sacks, and two interceptions.
The complete evaluation of this trade won’t be complete for a few years, but here is our initial grade of the move as the Bears continue to look towards the future.
Trade details
Bears receive:
- 2023 second-round pick
- 2023 fifth-round pick
- LB A.J. Klein
Ravens receive:
- LB Roquan Smith
Initial grade: A
No matter how you splice it, it’s painful to lose a player of Smith’s talents. While he played a position that’s not as valued as others and had some deficiencies, you can’t deny the production he brought in almost every week. He’s a tackling machine that can sack the quarterback and make a key interception from time to time. That being said, though, this relationship was doomed when Smith made his contract negotiations public earlier in the summer. The situation felt damaged beyond repair and Poles decided to cut his loss and get something back for him before losing him for nothing or having to pay close to $20 million for him in 2023.
Smith is likely going to be a rental for the Ravens for the second half of the season before becoming a free agent. They have their own extension issues to work out with another player who represents himself during negotiations in quarterback Lamar Jackson, meaning he likely won’t be as much of a priority. But Baltimore gets a player who can flourish behind a disruptive defensive line and the Bears get a second and fifth-round pick to work with either next April or sooner for a young, offensive weapon. That feels like a win-win for both sides. It’s a bit less than what the Denver Broncos received in the Von Miller blockbuster in 2021 where they shipped their star linebacker off to the Los Angeles Rams for a second and a third-round pick. Miller was much more accomplished than Smith, though, and sadly Klein doesn’t exactly make up the difference.
Should the Bears have traded Smith at all, though? It’s a fair debate and there’s really no right answer at this time. There are many needs on this team that draft picks can help fill if used correctly, but at the same time, the Bears are losing one of their best players who is still very much in his prime. That being said, Poles at least continues to stay in a lane with this rebuild and that’s commendable. It can be easy to take half measures, especially in the NFL when there are only 17 guaranteed games a season. Poles did the easy part with the trade, now comes the hard part where he must spend those draft picks wisely. Time will tell with how he does that.
