Whenever Roquan Smith returns to the field, he won’t be the one relaying in the Bears’ defensive plays in the huddle. Defensive coordinator Alan Williams said Saturday the team gives that responsibility to the middle linebacker in their scheme.
That’s Nicholas Morrow, not Smith. The two-time second-team all-pro will play weak-side linebacker whenever his contract dispute — Smith, entering the last year of his deal, wants an extension — gets settled. Until then, he’s not practicing.
“Right now our [middle] linebacker, he’s directing the fronts, he’s directing the calls,” Williams said. “He has most of the huddle pre-snap communication.