Bears LB Roquan Smith feared to have torn pec muscle

Bears linebacker Roquan Smith is feared to have suffered a torn pec muscle in the team's Week 14 victory over the Dallas Cowboys, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

#Bears star LB Roquan Smith is feared to have torn his pec in last night’s win over the #Cowboys, sources say. If the MRI confirms, it would likely knock Smith, who has really impressed recently, out for the season.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 6, 2019

Smith exited the game second quarter following an Ezekiel Elliott touchdown run and didn't return.

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A torn pec would put Smith on the shelf for the rest of the 2019 season and linger into his offseason preparation. The typical recovery from this type of injury is 4-6 months, which would put Smith out of action until OTAs.

Smith currently leads the Bears in tackles (101) and was beginning to play his best football of 2019 following a 15-tackle, two-sack game against the Lions on Thanksgiving Day.

Smith's injury marks the second serious blow to the Bears linebackers. Danny Trevathan has missed the last four games with an elbow injury and his return to the lineup remains uncertain.

Fourth-year linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski has done a phenomenal job filling in for Trevathan over the last month, earning the fourth-best Pro Football Focus grade on Chicago's defense in 2019. Smith's void is expected to be filled by Kevin Pierre-Louis, who totaled six tackles and two passes defended in Thursday night's win.