Blockbuster Bears Trade Nets Former 2-Time First-Team All-Big 12 LB

Monday’s Bears trade sends the team a former 5th-round pick

Roquan Smith is now a Baltimore Ravens linebacker. The former Chicago Bears All-Pro linebacker was rumored to be on the trading block before Tuesday’s deadline. The Bears trade will save the team money in the future and will give the team draft capital in the short term future. A second and fifth-round pick will be valuable to a team that needs help all over the roster.

One of the pieces the Bears received in the trade is linebacker A.J. Klein. Klein was a former Carolina Panthers’ 2013 fifth-round selection. He has spent time with the New Orleans Saints, Buffalo Bills, New York Giants, and Baltimore Ravens before the Bears trade Monday.

Klein played college football for the Iowa State Cyclones. He was a two-time first-team All-Big 12 honoree during his time at Iowa State. Klein has started 81 games in his NFL career. He’s recorded 454 total tackles, four interceptions, and eight fumble recoveries during his time in the league.

Klein has a 54.2 overall rating for the 2022 season by Pro Football Focus. That’s a higher rating than PFF has for Smith this season (50.8). Smith has seen a lot more snaps this season than Klein. Klein has 18 total defensive snaps in two games for the Ravens.

Here are some highlights of Klein:

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