Block or Not: Danny Trevathan

Should Danny Trevathan be considered a building block of the future?

Just over a year ago, the Chicago Bears thought they had a dynamic inside linebacker pairing in the duo of Jerrell Freeman and Danny Trevathan. Both looked outstanding on the field together and the Bears felt that this combo with Leonard Floyd on the outside was going to be the foundation to an incredible linebacking corps.

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Things have changed over that the course of that time. Freeman figures to no longer fit in the Bears’ long-term plans, especially after two failed drug tests, but Trevathan still looks the part as a solid contributor to this team.

Trevathan has a nose for the football and when he missed time last season, the Bears’ defense looked significantly worse. With Freeman no longer fitting in the Bears’ plans, it’s still a question mark as to who would start alongside Trevathan, but the smart money has been on Christian Jones and Nick Kwiatkoski.

Trevathan’s biggest issue is his inability to stay on the field. He missed four games last year, seven prior to that, and hasn’t played 16 games since his second year in the league (2013). Is his durability an issue? It might be, but that doesn’t mean the Bears can afford to continue without him.

Trevathan is still under contract for two more seasons, and at this point, it certainly doesn’t seem like the Bears can have an inside backer duo of Kwiatkoski and Jones and expect to have a top-notch defense. The Bears have bigger issues to address, like re-signing their cornerbacks, adding another edge rusher to pair with Floyd and improving the talent at the wide receiver position.

As we’ve seen with Freeman, things change quickly in the NFL, so two years from now, nothing is guaranteed, but even if Trevathan struggles with injuries but stays on the field for the most part, Ryan Pace will most likely be interested in re-signing Trevathan to another multiyear deal in 2020 (probably three years with two guaranteed as he will only be 30 at that point).

Danny Trevathan: Block or Not? BLOCK