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In 2013, while playing with the Denver Broncos, Danny Trevathan made his splash in the NFL by racking up 152 tackles. He missed most of the next season with an injury, but he bounced back in 2015 to play in fifteen games while amassing another hundred-plus tackle season. That year, the Broncos won the Super Bowl, with Trevathan recording eight tackles and recovering two fumbles in the game. He signed with the Chicago Bears the following offseason with the hopes of being a key member of Vic Fangio’s defense as one of the inside linebackers in his 3-4.
A couple injuries limited him to only nine games in 2016, but when he was on the field his leadership and speed was evident. He’s good in coverage, he’s an effective blitzer, and he’s a sure tackler. He fits everything that Fangio wants from his inside linebackers.
Last year Trevathan missed four games due to injury and a suspension, and his loss was evident as the Bears lost all four games in which he missed.
This defense is much better with him on the field, and staying healthy will be critical to the unit continuing their ascension.
With rookie Roquan Smith expected to line up next to him at the other ILB spot this season, the Bears will count on Trevathan’s leadership and knowledge of the D to help the youngster get acclimated to the NFL.
From WGN:
“I’m going to help as much as I can,” Trevathan said. “That’s my job here as a leader on this defense. He’s (Smith) a guy that works his tail off, so it shouldn’t be hard to give him little details about anything. Anything he needs help with, I’m right here to help him with.”
Smith plays fast, but he’ll play even faster once his knowledge of the defense grows. At some point he may even overtake Trevathan as the leader of the defense, but for now Trevathan, who was a team captain in 2016, will likely be a captain again.