AFC West

It was already shaping up to be a long season for fans of the Chicago Bears. The team is coming off a six-win campaign and possesses (on paper) arguably the NFL's most punchless offense. In the last set of NFL Power Rankings here at Bleacher Report, the Bears checked in 15th in the NFC and 30th overall.

Well, as the saying goes, "Things are never so bad they can't be made worse." That's what happened in the Windy City on Tuesday, when maybe the best player on the roster requested a trade.

Losing inside linebacker Roquan Smith would be a major short-term blow on the field, but it's also a trade that could land the rebuilding Bears some high-end draft capital. If the 25-year-old is hellbent on leaving town, the next step for both player and team is figuring out who is interested enough in Smith to make trading him worthwhile—and what they might be willing to give up.

With Smith heading into the fifth and final season of his rookie contract, there has been no shortage of rumblings about the negotiations on an extension. On July 26, new Bears general manager Ryan Poles tried to put a positive spin on negotiations with Smith while speaking to reporters:

"My feelings for Roquan don't change at all. I love the player and the person. And that won't change. The one thing I'll ask everyone here, I know I'm going to get a lot of questions and I get it. I'm just not going to talk about contracts and all that, so I wanted to just make sure we addressed it though. In terms of my feelings for him, nothing changes."

But things were apparently anything but positive given the scathing statement Smith penned Tuesday.

"The new front office regime doesn't value me here. They've refused to negotiate in good faith, every step of this journey has been 'take it or leave it'. The deal sent to me is one that would be bad for myself, and for the entire LB market if I signed it. I've been trying to get something done that's fair since April, but their focus has been on trying to take advantage of me.

"I wanted to be a Bear for my entire career, help this team bring a (Super Bowl) back to our city. However, they have left me no choice than to request a trade that allows me to play for an organization that truly values what I bring to the table."

To be fair, he left the door open for the relationship to be mended, and it's possible Smith (who has no agent) is trying to gain leverage via public support. But at face value, his statement says, "Get me out of here."

Losing Smith would be a massive hit for a team that can't afford those this year if it's even going to feign competitiveness. Smith has topped 100 total tackles in all four of his professional seasons, adding 14 sacks and five interceptions. Last year, he was fifth in the league with 163 total tackles and had a passer rating against in coverage of just 76.8.

Athlon Sports ranked Smith its No. 7 linebacker last month, noting:

"While he can roam sideline to sideline, Smith is also an underappreciated blitzer who times up his rushes well. He’s also durable, playing more than 1,000 snaps each of the past two seasons. Heading into 2022 under another defensive coaching regime, Smith should be the focal point of a rebuilt Bears defense."

Of course, that's part of the problem for Smith. The NFL just doesn't value off-ball linebackers the way it does cornerbacks or edge-rushers. Per Spotrac, the seventh-highest-paid inside linebacker in the league is Bobby Wagner of the Rams, who averages $10 million per season.

At 32, Wagner is much older than Smith—but he's also much more accomplished and is only in Los Angeles after the Seahawks released him because of his high salary. Only two off-ball linebackers in the league make over $15 million in average annual salary.

For a trade to be viable, the Bears need a partner with the cap space to absorb a Smith extension, a need at linebacker glaring enough to consider paying Smith and the impetus to give up not only all that cash but also quite a bit of draft capital.

It's not a long list. But there are a few teams that come to mind.

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Las Vegas Raiders

The Las Vegas Raiders have made it abundantly clear that they are all-in on making a deep playoff run in 2022. That became evident when the team traded for star wide receiver Davante Adams. But even after giving Adams a massive $140 million extension, the Raiders are still sitting on $22.3 million in cap space. Only the Cleveland Browns have more.

The Raiders have no shortage of offensive talent, but the team's 19th-ranked run defense is another story. Denzel Perryman had by far the best year of his professional career in 2021, but it marked the first time in seven years that he had even 75 tackles in a season. Youngster Divine Deablo is a converted safety, and free-agent addition Jayon Brown fell out of favor in Tennessee last year.

Adding Smith wouldn't be cheap, in terms of pick(s) or salary. But if he's the missing piece in the puzzle that gets the Raiders into their first Super Bowl since 2002, no one will care even a little what it costs.

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Los Angeles Chargers

The Raiders aren't the only team in the AFC West that has shoved their chips to the middle of the table this year. The Chargers did the same, trading with (coincidentally) the Bears for edge-rusher Khalil Mack and signing cornerback J.C. Jackson in free agency. That spending spree leaves the Chargers with just under $15 million in cap space.

Some wiggle room would need to be cleared to fit Smith under the cap, but it could be done easily enough.

The Chargers may have bolstered their pass rush and secondary this offseason, but the run defense remains a potential problem. In 2021, only the Pittsburgh Steelers and Houston Texans allowed more rushing yards per game than the 138.9 the Bolts surrendered.

Kenneth Murray has never come close to living up to his first-round draft slot over his two years in the pros. Drue Tranquill is a capable linebacker, but he's not a difference-maker. Linebacker is the clear weak spot on the Chargers new-look defense—a weakness that Smith's addition would turn into a strength.

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Dallas Cowboys

There are a couple of annual constants about the Dallas Cowboys. The team enters each season with one goal in mind: winning the Super Bowl. Jerry Jones has never been even a little bit shy about making splash moves, either.

Also, as it happens, there isn't a team in the NFC that is sitting on more cap space than the $21.6 million the Cowboys possess.

Yes, Dallas already has one star linebacker in reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year Micah Parsons. But even with Parsons on the roster, the Cowboys were just a middling defense against the run—16th in the league at 112.8 yards allowed per game.

After suffering numerous injuries, Leighton Vander Esch doesn't have the range he once did. Jabril Cox is a Day 3 pick coming off an ACL tear. Pairing Smith and Parsons would give Dallas the most formidable duo of inside linebackers in the league—and potentially shift the balance of power back in their favor in the NFC East.

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Stats via Pro Football Reference unless otherwise noted. Salary-cap info via Over the Cap.

When the Kansas City Chiefs made Clyde Edwards-Helaire the No. 32 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft, the expectation was that he would become the top option in the backfield.

And while he's had his moments, injuries have made him an unreliable feature back. So according to ESPN's Adam Teicher, the Chiefs will likely go into the 2022 season with contingency plans in place:

Edwards-Helaire is RB1, but he missed significant time with injuries in each of the past two seasons, so identifying the top reserves is high on the Chiefs' to-do list. Ronald Jones has been the No. 2 back for much of camp, but the Chiefs are also giving long looks to Jerick McKinnon, Derrick Gore and rookie Isiah Pacheco. Don't be surprised if the Chiefs keep four running backs as this is the deepest group they've had in years.

In his first two seasons, Edwards-Helaire rushed for 1,320 yards and eight touchdowns in 23 games, adding 55 catches for 426 yards and three scores. It's safe to say he hasn't been the game-changer many fans were perhaps expecting, though his career is young.

The Chiefs will need him to offer more of a threat in 2022 after playmaking wideout Tyreek Hill was traded to the Miami Dolphins in the offseason. But the Chiefs will have other options in place in the event CEH can't provide them with that spark or can't stay healthy enough to do so.

The Las Vegas Raiders aren't planning on trading running back Josh Jacobs this offseason.

"JJ's a guy we know what he's done. We have a lot of confidence in JJ," head coach Josh McDaniels told reporters Monday. "He did well with his opportunities. We have no desire to do that (trade) at all."

The trade buzz began Thursday when Jacobs surprisingly received seven touches in the team's preseason opener at the Hall of Fame Game and played in multiple series. It was unusual usage for a veteran, as top running backs generally see minimal usage in the preseason to avoid added wear and tear.

His fellow backfield mates—veterans Kenyan Drake and Ameer Abdullah and rookie Zamir White—also played in the contest.

"I always think it's good for backs to carry the ball in the preseason," McDaniels told reporters after the game. "There's a lot of things that happen when you're getting tackled and hit that you can't simulate in practice. I think all our guys had the ball tonight. I think all our guys either caught it or were handed the ball and had to get tackled. We can't really simulate that or rep that in practice."

But the Raiders have made other decisions this offseason that raised some eyebrows. They didn't pick up the fifth-year extension on Jacobs' rookie contract. They also drafted two running backs, White and Brittain Brown, and signed Abdullah and Brandon Bolden in free agency.

McDaniels comes from Bill Belichick's New England Patriots, where running back platoons were common and coaches liked to see players at the position get preseason snaps, as Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network noted on Sunday:

From Inside Training Camp: Would the #Raiders trade their best RB? Nah. pic.twitter.com/yIa4z7Y0uP

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 7, 2022

Still, it feels like a prove-it year for Jacobs under McDaniels, despite the fourth-year running back rushing for 3,087 yards and 28 touchdowns in his first three seasons. He may not be on the trade block, but his future in Las Vegas seems dependent on a strong 2022 season.

Fantasy football players in point-per-reception leagues may want to pay attention to reported developments at the Denver Broncos training camp.

While running back Melvin Gordon figures to be behind Javonte Williams on the depth chart, Jeff Legwold of ESPN reported first-year head coach Nathaniel Hackett plans on making "the team's running backs a bigger part of the passing game than in recent Broncos seasons, and that is where Gordon could find plenty of snaps."

"Bottom line is Melvin loves the ball," Broncos running backs coach Tyrone Wheatley said. "He knows what the situation is here, they all do. But it's like a menu and sometimes we're going to need a little more of something on the menu than something else. The next week that could be different."

It seems as if that "menu" will feature plenty of throws from new quarterback Russell Wilson, who figures to be at least somewhat familiar with Gordon considering they were college teammates at Wisconsin for one season.

Gordon is a two-time Pro Bowler who has been fairly consistent throughout his career.

He ran for 1,105 yards in 2017 as a member of the Los Angeles Chargers and ran for more than 900 yards in four of his first seven years in the NFL. That Denver plans on involving him in the aerial attack is notable because his 28 catches last season represented a career-low mark.

The 29-year-old had 50 or more catches in back-to-back years in 2017 and 2018, so he has proven capable of being a featured part of the passing game in the past.

The presence of Williams figures to complicate his overall ceiling, as Denver selected the North Carolina product with a second-round pick in the 2021 NFL draft. He ran for 903 yards and four touchdowns while adding 43 catches for 316 yards and three touchdowns as a receiver.

Wilson is talented enough to make sure they are both involved, though, which makes Gordon worthy of a mid-to-late-round flier for fantasy football players looking for a potential steal on draft day.

The Las Vegas Raiders "are not planning on trading" veteran running back Josh Jacobs, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

From Inside Training Camp: Would the #Raiders trade their best RB? Nah. pic.twitter.com/yIa4z7Y0uP

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 7, 2022

Rapoport added the Raiders could likely find a market for Jacobs but "do not plan" to move the 2020 Pro Bowler because they're looking to win games now.

Jacobs ran the ball five times for 30 yards and caught two passes for 14 yards in Las Vegas' 27-11 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Hall of Fame Game.

Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio speculated whether the 24-year-old's relatively high usage was part of a plan by the Raiders to showcase him for prospective trade suitors.

The Raiders declined Jacobs' fifth-year rookie option in April, which is almost always a sign that a first-round pick hasn't lived up to expectations.

Jacobs eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards both in 2019 and 2020, but his 4.0 yards per carry over the last two seasons raise some concerns. Football Outsiders ranked him 35th in DYAR among running backs with at least 100 carries in 2021.

The former Alabama star told reporters in July that he hopes to stay in Las Vegas.

"I'm a firm believer in the work that you put in is going to pay out for itself, and I had to be here either way," he said. "And this is where I want to be. I didn't have no problem with it. It just gave me more of a reason to come in every day, gel with the guys and work."

But with a new general manager (Dave Ziegler) and a new head coach (Josh McDaniels) in place, nobody will be surprised if the Raiders have a new starting running back in 2023.

Perhaps the change comes earlier than that, but Rapoport provided compelling reasons why the team should keep Jacobs for at least one more year. This isn't a Super Bowl-or-bust season for the Raiders, but they clearly have big ambitions.

They acquired Davante Adams from the Green Bay Packers and signed him to a massive extension. They signed Chandler Jones to pair with Maxx Crosby at defensive end. And Crosby is one of a few Raiders players who was handsomely rewarded with a new deal.

If Vegas did trade Jacobs, it would be looking at fourth-round draft pick Zamir White, Ameer Abdullah or Kenyan Drake as its primary ball-carrier. Drake and Abdullah combined to run for 420 yards in 2021, while White slipped to Day 3 of the draft for a reason.

"Overall, White would be best paired with a more finesse-style back who allows him to get touches that take advantage of his hard runs," B/R NFL scout Nate Tice wrote in his scouting report. "He can be an effective back very early in his career in an offense that features downhill runs that lets him set the tone, but he has a cap on his passing-down value."

Leaning on Jacobs is the best option for the Raiders, even if he's only a short-term solution in McDaniels' offense.

Former NFL wide receiver Demaryius Thomas' death at age 33 in December was the result of "complications of a seizure disorder," according to an autopsy report released to the public Friday.

Kevin Vaughan and Mike Klis of 9NEWS Denver provided more information.

NEW: Former @Broncos TE Demaryius Thomas died of "complications of a seizure disorder," per autopsy report made public just now. Medical Examiner cannot conclude if it's "a result of natural causes or a sequela of head impacts" from football career. #9NEWS @9WantsToKnow

— Kevin Vaughan (@writerkev) August 5, 2022

Fulton County Medical Examiner said it was opinion of Boston University doctor that regarding Demaryius Thomas "there is not a direct relationship between (CTE) and the development of the seizure disorder.''
BU had determined Thomas had stage 2 CTE. #9sports

— Mike Klis (@mikeklis) August 5, 2022

Thomas played in the NFL for 10 seasons, making four Pro Bowls and winning two AFC titles and one Super Bowl. He registered five straight 1,000-yard seasons for the Denver Broncos from 2012-2016.

The ex-Georgia Tech star played eight-plus years in Denver before being traded to the Houston Texans in 2018. He finished his playing career with the New York Jets in 2019.

According to Ken Belson of the New York Times, Boston University researchers posthumously diagnosed the wideout with Stage 2 chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

CTE, as it is more commonly known, is defined by the Mayo Clinic as the term "used to describe brain degeneration likely caused by repeated head traumas."

It's unclear how much of a factor CTE played in Thomas' death.

Thomas suffered from seizures following a 2019 car accident. Dr. Ann McKee, the BU pathologist who studied Thomas' brain, said that seizures were not generally associated with CTE.

"He had two different conditions in parallel," Dr. McKee said.

Ultimately, the autopsy report reiterated McKee's stance regarding the matter, in that there is no evidence that there is a relationship between CTE and developing a seizure disorder.

Fulton County Medical Examiner said it was opinion of Boston University doctor that regarding Demaryius Thomas "there is not a direct relationship between (CTE) and the development of the seizure disorder.''
BU had determined Thomas had stage 2 CTE. #9sports

— Mike Klis (@mikeklis) August 5, 2022

In addition, McKee has previously noted CTE does not cause death.

"CTE itself does not cause death," she said per ABC News. "You don't die from CTE. What CTE does is it changes your behavior and your personality."

Thomas' loved ones did notice a change in behavior.

"Those closest to him said his behavior became increasingly erratic in the last year of his life, which was marked by the memory loss, paranoia and isolation that are hallmarks of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, the degenerative brain disease linked to repeated head hits," Belson wrote.

Thomas was arguably one of the NFL's most-loved players during his time in the league. There wasn't a shortage of comments regarding his tremendous character in the days and weeks that followed his death.

"Demaryius stopped to take time to see, notice, and visit with ordinary people," Cindy Trollinger, board president of the Bountiful Hope Foundation with which Thomas worked, said to Sean Keeler of the Denver Post. "This is what is so special about Demaryius, and makes me cry with tears of gratitude."

Many of his teammates made public comments, including fellow Super Bowl champion DeMarcus Ware.

Heartbroken 💔 pic.twitter.com/e3EbU0aPeP

— D-Ware (@DeMarcusWare) December 10, 2021

"I just try to spread the love," Thomas once said when looking back on his time contributing to children in the Denver community.

DT made a big impact through his platform, notably attending Boys and Girls Club events, packing gifts for the holidays and hosting football camps, among other benevolent acts.