Bears' Jaylon Johnson on Roquan Smith: ‘He's a Whole Different Beast'

Johnson on Roquan: 'He's a whole different beast' originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

Jaylon Johnson's noticed a different player in Roquan Smith. 

It's a contract year for Smith after he and the Chicago Bears failed to reach an agreement on a new deal for him this past summer. But now, the beast is brought out of the two-time All-Pro linebacker. 

"Roquan looks like he's motivated every day," Johnson said on Parkins and Spiegel. "We joke around and he says he has a different juice than everybody else. And I mean, you can see it and you can feel it out there. He just he's a whole different beast. He's motivated every game. The way he talks to the team, the way he leads a team, the defense and just the way he carries. You could tell he's definitely a man on a mission for sure."

The defense has its leader back. Some players mentioned training camp was different without him on the field. Smith conducted a "hold-in" where he sat out of practice and preseason games while his contract negotiations continued. 

Smith recorded an impressive game on the field during Sunday's win over the Houston Texans. He posted 16 tackles and a game-sealing interception to set up Cairo Santos for a game-winning field goal from 30 yards out. 

Since his return, the defense has had extra motivation because of his energy. 

In terms of his pregame speeches, Smith does them better than anyone, according to Johnson. 

"It definitely makes you want to run through a wall," Johnson said. 

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