Tuesday marked one year since the Chicago Bears traded linebacker Roquan Smith to the Baltimore Ravens. But, it was Roquan Smith’s comments on Sunday that have my attention this morning.
- In an Albert Breer column over at SI, while talking about how happy he was to be in Baltimore after the Ravens 37-3 victory over the Seahawks on Sunday, Smith slammed the Bears. “Man, it’s pretty crazy thinking back to when I was initially traded,” Smith said. “It was bittersweet for me, just knowing Chicago and rightfully so. But if I would’ve stayed there, honestly, [I] wouldn’t have been able to compete for a title anytime soon. And then when I came over here, it took me a while, like a couple of weeks, to really realize how stacked this team was, as well as how many good people there are on this team, and how they just bring in truly good people. And when I just think about it from the perspective of having the opportunity to compete for one year in and year out with the talent we have. Man, it makes me so happy, just knowing my career is not going down the drain, in the sense of playing somewhere where I’m not truly competing for a title.”
- Perhaps it was a caught-in-the-moment thing. Or maybe Smith truly feels this way about the Bears. If so, could you blame him? Chicago is 2-7 and has a murky, at best, outlook on the future. The Ravens, on the other hand, may be the best team in the AFC and are on the shortlist of teams with a chance to win a Super Bowl this season. So, I can understand where Smith is coming from.
- Plus, let’s not forget that things didn’t end well for Smith in Chicago, so it’s normal to have some disdain towards your old team. Smith was essentially told that the Bears wouldn’t meet his contract desire. He was traded for a second-round pick after. Then he got the contract he wanted in Baltimore, which made it a little more personal because it was the Bears who didn’t value him and not the market for his position.
- NFL Draft talk is heating up across the football landscape, and one of the quarterbacks mentioned as a potential prospect for next April’s draft is Colorado’s Shedur Sanders. But, not so fast, says his head coach — and father — Deion Sanders. “Why would we when we’re having a great time here?” Sanders said (via Steve Samra of on3.com). “When we appreciate and love where we are, it’s hard to look at somewhere else.”
- There’s a lot of time between now and April, but Sanders staying in Boulder for another season makes sense. Early in the season, when the Buffs were undefeated and the talk of college football, Sanders’ draft stock skyrocketed. Since the Buffs and Shedder’s stock have cooled off and in recent mock drafts, Sanders isn’t going in the first round. With another year of eligibility, not being a first-round pick doesn’t seem like a path the Sanders’ are interested in. Especially when you consider that Sanders has an estimated $4.6 million NIL value, according to on3.com.
- To be clear, I have said before that the NIL money out there wouldn’t be enough to keep a bona fide QB1 in school, and I believe that. Caleb Williams was the example, and the difference between Williams and Sanders is that Williams going first overall will guarantee him upwards of $40 million next spring, with his second contract clock starting in the fall. Sanders, who is projected to be a second-round pick or worse at this point, wouldn’t be in for nearly as significant a payday as Williams this spring. For example, Will Levis, who was taken at the top of the second round last April, got $9.5 million total from the Titans for his rookie deal. That’s a significant difference.
- The Dallas Cowboys are signing wide receiver Martavis Bryant to their practice squad. Bryant, who is 31 years old now, was one of the most formidable big-play threats in football. As a rookie in 2014 with the Steelers, he managed to maintain an average of a whopping 21.1 yards per catch while scoring eight touchdowns in ten games. However, he was suspended for the first four games of the 2015 season for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy, and then suspended for the entire 2016 season for another violation. He returned to the Steelers in 2017 but didn’t play as well, and in 2018 he was traded to the Raiders.
- After starting the season with the Raiders, Bryant was suspended again late in 2018 and hasn’t returned to the NFL since. He played for the XFL’s Vegas Vipers this year, but he didn’t make any significant impact, and it’s unclear if he has anything left in him. Nonetheless, the Cowboys worked him out and saw enough promise to give him an opportunity with the practice squad. It’s unlikely that he’ll ever return to the form he showed early in his career, but he’s getting another, probably last, chance.
- The Minnesota Vikings are 5-4 and hunting for a Wild Card spot. They could get star wide receiver Justin Jefferson back as soon as Sunday. Jefferson is eligible to return from the IR after missing the previous four games with a hamstring injury. However, that doesn’t sound like something the Vikings are planning for at this point. Head coach Kevin O’Connell said on Monday that the team was still working through its options with Jefferson. Still, even if he doesn’t play, Minnesota could designate him to return, opening up his window to begin practicing with the team.
- The Lions are getting healthier. Detroit got running back David Montgomery, center Frank Ragnow and guard Jonah Jackson back at practice on Tuesday. Head coach Dan Campbell says that the team is hopeful that the trio will be back in action on Sunday. “They’ve been trending the right way now for a while, so certainly hopeful.”