Baltimore Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith has established himself as one of the best defenders in football, but he may not have gotten the recognition had he not been traded to the Ravens last season.

Speaking on his situation in Baltimore, Smith says he is thrilled the Ravens acquired him in a deadline deal with the Chicago Bears last year.

“Man, it’s pretty crazy thinking back to when I was initially traded,” Smith told Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. “It was bittersweet for me, just knowing Chicago and rightfully so. But if I would’ve stayed there, honestly, [I] wouldn’t have been able to compete for a title anytime soon.”

Smith spent the first four-and-a-half years of his career with the Bears after being selected by the team with the eighth overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft. He posted some monster numbers in Chicago, but he oddly never made a Pro Bowl there and was part of a whole lot of losing.

“And then when I came over here, it took me a while, like a couple of weeks, to really realize how stacked this team was, as well as how many good people there are on this team, and how they just bring in truly good people,” added Smith. “And when I just think about it from the perspective of having the opportunity to compete for one year in and year out with the talent we have. Man, it makes me so happy, just knowing my career is not going down the drain, in the sense of playing somewhere where I’m not truly competing for a title.”

While those are some harsh words from Smith, he is not wrong.

The Bears are just 2-7 this season and went 3-14 last season. They also went just 6-11 in 2021, so the franchise has been in a downward spiral for several years.

Smith finally made his first Pro Bowl in 2022 after racking up 169 tackles, 4.5 sacks, three interceptions and six passes defended. He also earned himself a First-Team All-Pro selection.

He actually posted similar numbers in 2021, rattling off 163 tackles, three sacks, a pick and a defensive touchdown. He was named a Second-Team All-Pro, but the recognition ended there.

Now, Roquan Smith is part of a Ravens team that has won four straight games and sits at 7-2 heading into its Week 10 matchup with the Cleveland Browns.

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