The Bears have a decision to make at inside linebacker this offseason. Given their salary cap situation, they’ll likely only be able to re-sign Danny Trevathan or Nick Kwiatkoski to line-up opposite Roquan Smith.
While Trevathan has been an effective contributor and leader in that locker room in his four years with the Bears, the fact of the matter is that he’s 30 years old and has a history of injuries. Trevathan has missed 16 games since signing with the Bears prior to the 2015 season.
Bleacher Report believes that the Bears should opt to re-sign Kwiatkoski rather than Trevathan this offseason.
They should opt for Kwiatkoski, who is three years younger and likely a lot fresher than Trevathan. The former Denver Bronco is more of a proven commodity than Kwiatkoski, but he’s missed 18 games in four seasons with the Bears and will be on the wrong side of 30 this spring.
The Bears are already paying Khalil Mack huge money and will soon have to pay fellow linebackers Leonard Floyd and Roquan Smith. Considering that only five teams are projected to have less cap space this offseason, they’d be smart to save some money. The lesser-known Kwiatkoski might be a tad cheaper than Trevathan, and there’s a lot more upside there after somewhat of a breakout season from the 2016 fourth-round pick.
Trevathan might’ve made a case for re-signing him had he stayed healthy. But Kwiatkoski took advantage of his opportunity and put together an impressive performance in relief of Trevathan following his elbow injury in Week 10.
Ultimately when it comes down to it, Kwiatkoski is the younger and cheaper option with no injury history. You’d figure the Bears are going to make a decision that benefits them most from a production and salary standpoint.
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