No. 8 pick Roquan Smith reportedly not present as Bears rookies report to camp
Smith is one of just 14 draft picks who remain unsigned
Roquan Smith, the No. 8 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, was not with his rookie teammates as they reported to Bears training camp on Monday. According to a report from NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Smith is not joining the rest of Chicago's rookies at camp because he is still unsigned.
Smith is one of 14 draft picks who remain unsigned. His absence is not considered a holdout until the veterans report to camp later this week (and even then, it's not a holdout because he doesn't have a contract to hold out from), but he is officially not there.
#Bears first-round LB Roquan Smith is not with the team as the rookies report for training camp today, sources say. It’s not officially a holdout until the veterans are due on July 19, but Smith doesn’t have a deal yet. So he’s staying away until it happens.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 16, 2018
The Bears are set to play in the Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 2, so they are reporting to camp this week. Smith is expected to be a starter at linebacker for the team, which has a young and improving defense. It's obviously important for both Smith and the team that he be on the field as much as possible before the year starts, but there are apparently still some things that need to be ironed out, contract-wise, before he shows up.
This is not the first time a highly-drafted player has remained unsigned as training camps around the league begin. Joey Bosa remained unsigned for much of camp two years ago, for example. He ended up missing nearly all of camp as well as early-season games, but he dominated once he got back on the field. Smith is a playmaker who should help the Chicago defensive immensely whenever he does play, no matter how long it takes for the organization to get him signed.
















