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Roquan Smith not playing in Bears’ preseason game against Broncos
By Jake Rill
Published:
Roquan Smith has finally joined the Chicago Bears, but he wasn’t suited up in pads on Saturday night.
The Bears opted not to play the former Georgia linebacker in their third preseason game of the season against the Denver Broncos. Smith had a 29-day holdout before signing his rookie contract on Tuesday.
Smith was spotted on the sidelines in street clothes prior to Saturday’s game according to several reports, including one from 247sports.
The Bears are reportedly hoping to start Smith at middle linebacker alongside Danny Trevathan, but it’s unclear if Smith will be ready for their Week 1 matchup against the Green Bay Packers after missing a month of training camp.
There will be two more opportunities for Smith to get some preseason reps — Aug. 25 against the Chiefs and Aug. 30 against the Bills. The Bears have five preseason games this year because they played in the Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 2.
Smith practiced with the Bears on Wednesday and Thursday after he traveled to Denver with the team ahead of Saturday’s preseason game. The former Bulldog was selected by Chicago with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.
Jake Rill contributes to news coverage for Saturday Down South. He has covered the SEC since 2016.
