Chicago Bears Mailbag: Mitch Trubisky, Roquan Smith and more

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GREEN BAY, WI – SEPTEMBER 09: Roquan Smith #58 of the Chicago Bears reacts after recording a sack during the second quarter of a game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on September 9, 2018 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /

@MarkGra18235375

Is Roquan Smith on a snap count this Monday night?

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I don’t think the Bears are prepared to play the 1st round pick the entire game against Seattle just yet, but Matt Nagy himself confirmed he’s likely to get more playing time. That shouldn’t be a surprise considering he managed to squeeze a sack and a couple tackles into just eight defensive snaps in Green Bay. His conditioning and understanding of the playbook will be a little better as well. This is a situation where Smith will likely take over the full-time job after the bye week in October.

@mrpchvz

Is the 2019 draft deep enough for the#Bears to find a high caliber talent at 3rd round and later? I’m hoping for OT help and OLB depth. Thanks.

It’s always possible to find a top talent later in a draft. GM Ryan Pace has proven particularly good at it over the years with Jordan Howard, Tarik Cohen, Eddie Jackson, and Adrian Amos being some of his 3rd round or later finds. When it comes to offensive tackles? That’s somewhat difficult. Since 1970, the NFL draft has yielded just 21 players who were drafted as tackles that made it to the Pro Bowl. Several of them only did so after shifting to guard or center. Josh Sitton, Marshall Yanda, Jahri Evans, and Carl Nicks are examples.

Outside linebackers, on the other hand, could be a definite possibility. The draft has produced 42 future Pro Bowlers at that or the defensive end position in the 3rd or later. Among them include Jason Taylor, Elvis Dumervil, Charles Haley, Richard Dent, Jared Allen, Justin Houston, and Robert Mathis. Even better, this upcoming draft class is reportedly stacked at the edge rusher position. So there’s a strong chance the Bears could land some high-quality depth.

@ArtVanDelay184

Has it been so long since your last #Bears mailbag that you forgot how they work? Lol we’re eager to hear your thoughts;) How long of a rope does Coach Nagy have with the play calling? Or before the Trestman comparisons begin?

People forget that Trestman was actually effective as an offensive play caller. The Bears had the #2 scoring offense in football in 2013. Josh McCown looked like a Pro Bowler under his watch that year. As for Jay Cutler, despite their incredible drama in 2014, the QB still had a career-high 28 touchdown passes that year. Trestman just wasn’t a strong enough leader to handle an NFL locker room. He was behind the times and spent too much time in Canada.

Nagy made a couple mistakes in Green Bay and he copped to them, but all in all his game plan was good and there were a number of plays in the second half where he had guys open. It’s a matter of teaching Trubisky how to see them in those situations. That will come with more time and repetition. I don’t expect him to relinquish play calling anytime soon.

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