CHICAGO – Aldon Smith has understandably taken some time to integrate into the Raiders defense. He was signed two days before the regular-season opener and playing right away as a situational pass rusher.
Fast forward three more games. Smith is no longer a part-time player. His snap count has increased each week, and took 91 percent of the Raiders’ 77 defensive snaps during Sunday’s loss to the Chicago Bears.
He made productive use of his time, with six tackles, a sack, another tackle for a loss and a quarterback hit. He was stout against the run, involved in several plays run his way.