Chicago Bears: 5 Top targets in 2020 NFL free agency

4. Danny Trevathan, ILB

The Chicago Bears have a huge decision to make at inside linebacker. They have Roquan Smith (coming back from a pectoral injury) signed, but have Danny Trevathan, Nick Kwiatkoski and Kevin Pierre-Louis who are all free agents.

There are reports that the Bears are interested in retaining Kwiatkoski but I feel Kwiatkoski played well enough in Trevathan’s absence in 2019 that he’ll cash in on a big payday. Besides, as good as he played, I still think the longer Kwiatkoski plays as a starter the more of a liability he becomes.

Trevathan’s injury could be a blessing in disguise for the Bears. Because of that injury, his suitors might be cut. Some teams might shy away from an injured player. They might want him to sign a one-year “prove it” contract.

If given the choice of a one year contract with a new team or a two-year, team-friendly deal with the Bears, I think he decides to stay where he is comfortable. Additionally, it keeps the continuity on defense, especially in the linebackers corps. Although Smith has played well in his two seasons with the Bears, he had some mysterious problem that no one on the team explained. He wasn’t injured and he Tweeted some cryptic messages, so keeping Trevathan is very important.

We don’t know what happened with Smith during that confusing time, so we don’t know if that situation comes up again. With Trevathan there, things could be settled and the good linebacker play continues.