Bears end camp with rookie LB Smith still unsigned
BOURBONNAIS, Ill. — It has become a familiar refrain for Chicago Bears coach Matt Nagy.
Nagy often has repeated the words “nothing new” over the past 3½ weeks regarding contract talks with first-round draft pick Roquan Smith, and the situation remains status quo.
Nagy’s first training camp with the Bears concluded Sunday, and it remains uncertain when defensive coordinator Vic Fangio can plug the former Georgia linebacker into the lineup.
Asked Sunday if missing all of camp would limit Smith’s ability to be defensive field general on opening day, Nagy did not mince words.
“I think it does,” Nagy said. “You’re playing at that position, and there are a lot of calls that go on, very similar to a quarterback, there’s a lot going on. But I have full confidence in Vic and his staff that when he does get here, they’ll get him up to speed and whenever that is, we’ll see.”
Neither the Bears nor Smith’s agents have openly discussed the reason for the standoff.
The Chicago Tribune reported that the sticking point in talks is the team’s refusal to give up the right to reclaim some of Smith’s guaranteed bonus if he is suspended for an on-field rules violation outside the parameters of a football play.
Smith is the only unsigned player in the 2018 NFL draft class.
Texans reach deal with WR/KR Bray
The Texans agreed to terms with wide receiver and kick returner Quan Bray, according to his agents.
Bray went undrafted out of Auburn and has previous stints with Indianapolis and Buffalo.
Bray, a former second-team All-Southeastern Conference return specialist, was the first player in school history to score a touchdown rushing, receiving and returning a punt in the same season.
Bray, who was cut by the Bills last week, has 1,504 return yards and six receptions for 75 yards in his NFL career.
Tannehill throws rookie out of huddle
Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill kicked running back Kalen Ballage out of the huddle and off the field during practice at Miami Gardens, Fla., after Ballage appeared to miss an assignment that led to a sack by Charles Harris.
But Tannehill did not stop there. He sought out Ballage on the sidelines during a break and scolded the rookie.
Tannehill, not surprisingly, had the full support of his head coach.
“He was right today, with what he did,” Dolphins coach Adam Gase said. “I would have been upset if I were him, because who knows what the result in a game would have been?
“I think he was in the right. When he does things like that, for our offense, that’s good.”
Ballage appeared to take the public dressing-down in stride and chalked up his mental error to the learning curve for an NFL rookie.
“He’s been in this offense for three, four years,” Ballage said. “I’ve been in it for two months. There’s still a lot I’ve got to learn. Just continuing to grow every day.”
Odds and ends
Jacksonville suspended AllPro cornerback Jalen Ramsey and defensive end Dante Fowler for violating team rules and conduct unbecoming a Jaguars football player. Neither one will make the trip to Minnesota on Tuesday for two days of joint practices and a preseason game Saturday. Fowler was involved in several fights Sunday, including one after practice with fellow defensive end Yannick Ngakoue. Ngakoue and Fowler exchanged words while walking off the practice field, prompting one skirmish. Ngakoue and Fowler got into it again outside the practice-field gates and had to be pulled apart by teammates, coaches and security personnel. General manager Dave Caldwell could be seen leading Ngakoue away by the wrist. … Philadelphia signed quarterback Christian Hackenberg, who was traded by the New York Jets to Oakland in May for a conditional 2019 draft pick and was released two weeks later.