Chicago Bears: Danny Trevathan signing signals other moves

The Chicago Bears locked up linebacker Danny Trevathan and kept him from hitting free agency. This move could mean other moves are coming.

NFL free agency is still a few days away but the Chicago Bears already made a big move. They decided to re-sign linebacker Danny Trevathan to a three-year, $21.75 million deal, per NFL media’s Ian Rapoport.  The move keeps Trevathan together with Roquan Smith. Both players will continue to man the middle of the defense for a few more seasons.

Trevathan missed seven games in 2019 with a severely dislocated elbow. In the nine games he played, he recorded 70 tackles and one sack. In his first four seasons with the Bears, Trevathan has been a leader on and off the field. He took Smith under his wing and Smith responded. Now the two get to play and Trevathan helps Smith grow even more.

Does this move mean that more big moves by the Bears are on the horizon?

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In addition to Trevathan, Nick Kwiatkoski was also to be a free agent. Kwiatkoski backed up Trevathan and stepped up in a big way when Trevathan went down. Kwiatkoski likely feels he is ready for a starting role and surely there are other teams around the league who now see him as a starter as well. That means he’ll cash in on a big deal that the Bears couldn’t or wouldn’t match.

With Kwiatkoski leaving, the Bears need to add depth to the linebackers corps. Kevin Pierre-Louis is also a free agent and did a great job of stepping up when Smith got injured as well. I see the Bears re-signing him, though. He’ll continue to back up Smith.

So what happens behind Trevathan? I believe the Bears give Joel Iyiegbuniwe a shot at that spot. He was the Bears’ fourth-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft but has spent almost all of his time on special teams. In 2019, he played on 304 snaps but only three of them were on defense. It’s time the team sees what it has in him. They likely draft someone as well and have a competition.

This signing also has an effect on someone else — Leonard Floyd. Floyd is due $13.22 million on his fifth-year option. This move almost certainly means that Floyd won’t see that money with Chicago. The Bears could offer him a multi-year deal at a smaller cap hit or they’ll let him walk.

There are players like Vic Beasley or Ezekiel Ansah who can be had for less than what the Bears owe Floyd. If the team cannot come to an agreement with Floyd, there are other good options out there.

Trevathan is about to turn 30 years old in two weeks. Signing him to a new contract also shows that Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace believes he has a team that can win now. Trevathan has an injury history with the Bears, missing 16 games in four seasons. Also, he’s only had one season in which he played all 16 games.

Keeping him in the fold signifies that Pace and the Bears feel they have the team to compete for a title. To be honest, Trevathan’s days are numbered, but he can still help the team now.

Before the Trevathan signing inside linebacker was a priority, either through free agency or the draft. It isn’t as big of a priority after this move. They could draft someone to battle Iyiegbuniwe as I mentioned. One of them could eventually replace Trevathan as the starter when the time comes.

With this move, the Chicago Bears can concentrate on other areas to shore up. They’re certainly happy that they keep continuity with Trevathan. They know what they have and value him. Now let’s see what other moves come about.