Chicago Bears star linebacker Roquan Smith was a surprise inactive for Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings because of a personal issue, and the team is not placing a timeline on his return.
Bears head coach Matt Nagy refused to go into detail on Monday when he was asked roughly a dozen questions about Smith, only saying that the 22-year-old is dealing with a “personal issue.” According to ESPN’s Jeff Dickerson, some within the Bears organization observed that Smith “had not been acting like himself” for the past week or so.
It sounds like there is a good chance Smith won’t play Sunday against the Oakland Raiders, as Dickerson considers him out indefinitely.
Little information is known about whatever Smith is dealing with, but it goes without saying that his absence is significant for the Bears. The No. 8 overall pick recorded a team-high 122 tackles while appearing in all 16 games in his rookie season last year. He is one of the core players on a defense that has been arguably the best in football over the past two seasons.
