The Chicago Bears have a rich history of middle linebackers, and they might’ve found their next great one in Roquan Smith.

Smith had an impressive rookie season with the Bears, where he led the team in tackles with 121 and tallied five sacks and an interception.

But what made it even more impressive was that he accomplished all of that without participating in training camp or preseason.

Now, the second-year inside linebacker has a training camp — and a few preseason snaps — under his belt as he prepares for the season, which makes him even scarier than he was last season.

That much was evident in last week’s preseason opener against the Panthers, where Smith broke through the gap on a blitz and brought down Panthers quarterback Kyle Allen for a sack. It was a play that seemed to say, “Yep, I’m ready.”

It’s something that Smith’s new defensive coaches have been impressed by, along with his attitude and determination to be “an elite player” in the NFL, according to inside linebackers coach Mark DeLeone said.

“With Ro, it can be easy,” DeLeone said, via the Chicago Tribune. “Ro always wants to talk about football. He loves football. He’s always talking about other linebackers in the NFL. ‘Hey, Coach, have you watched this guy? What do you think of this?’ Or when we’re talking specifically about our defense, he’s very passionate with what he talks about and what he asks about. He loves football. And it’s fun as a coach to be around guys who love it like that.”

With a year of NFL experience under his belt, Smith feels more confident about expectations for this defense and playing in the league. And it shows.

“He’s playing faster right now,” Bears coach Matt Nagy said. “Those offenses, now when those plays are getting called, they line up and get set and motion and shift and everything, he’s able to react to that really well.”

Remember to subscribe to Chicago Shuffle on Apple Podcasts and leave a friendly review and rating.