The Bears were hoping first-round pick Roquan Smith would be the centerpiece of a solid defense, one that brings back nine starters from last year.
But as the only unsigned pick, Smith isn’t able to participate yet, and some people are beginning to get salty about it.
“Obviously, it’s not advantageous to anybody that he’s not here, and I’ll just leave it at that,” defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said, via Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune. “Talk to Ryan [Pace, the General Manager] and his salary-cap guys about that.”
So far, those guys haven’t been able to reach an agreement with Smith’s representatives, and the count is now at 16 days and 10 practices missed for the rookie, as they haggle over language in the deal which could void guarantees.
But that’s not Fangio’s problem, he just wants to coach a guy who could make them better.
“I think he has the potential to be a good player — a really good player,” Fangio said. “I would have loved to have him here the first day. But we’ll adapt and adjust and get him ready.”
Whenever that happens to be.