Reports: Roquan Smith's holdout with Bears will end on Monday

Now that the major hurdle for Roquan Smith is about to be cleared, the big challenge for the Chicago Bears is getting Smith ready for Week 1.

When the Bears broke camp after Sunday’s practice, Bears coach Matt Nagy wondered aloud if Smith’s ability to play in Week 1 was being affected by his holdout. Whether it was that threat or just that it was time for both sides to end their standoff, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Monday afternoon that Smith’s agents and the Bears were “putting the finishing touches” on a deal and expected to be done by the end of the day. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said the two sides had agreed to terms and were finalizing the language.

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Assuming no last-minute hiccups (Pro Football Talk reported there were “still some kinks” to be worked out), Smith’s holdout will end with a little less than four weeks to go before the start of the regular season.

Why was Roquan Smith holding out?

Smith had reportedly been holding out due to his agents wanting language in the contract stating the Bears couldn’t take his guaranteed money if he got suspended for a violation of the NFL’s new helmet rule.

While that sounds silly, and it probably shouldn’t have caused a holdout that lasted beyond Bears training camp, we’re probably going to see some instance where a team uses a loophole to try and take back guaranteed money over a suspension. On Monday, Pro Football Talk reported the Jaguars told cornerback Jalen Ramsey they wouldn’t void his guarantees over a one-week suspension for comments to the media. While it sounds crazy the Jaguars would have to verbalize that, players apparently have yet something else to worry about when it comes to their contracts.

Smith’s holdout seemed odd, but it might turn out to be an issue the NFL has to navigate in coming years.

Smith will have to hurry to be ready for Week 1

The more pressing concern, now that Smith is signed, is when he’ll be able to start for the Bears.

While Los Angeles Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa was able to hold out until late August of 2016 and still win NFL defensive rookie of the year, that’s a tough task. It’ll be tougher for Smith, who has more play-calling duties as a middle linebacker and has missed some key practice time. Given that Smith’s first possible practice will be Tuesday, it’s hard to imagine he’ll play in Saturday’s preseason game. That would mean he’ll miss at least half of the preseason.

Still, signing on Monday gives the Bears and Smith some hope that he can quickly get up to speed and be ready for the regular-season opener. Smith was the Bears’ big defensive addition this offseason, the No. 8 overall pick of the draft. He’s a fantastic, athletic linebacker out of Georgia and could be a big-time playmaker for a defense that returns its 10 other starters.

But before the Bears got to see Smith on the field in pads his holdout had to end, and finally it seems the two sides have found some common ground.

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Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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