Heading into free agency, the Bears have several pending free agents set to hit the open market. While Chicago would like to re-sign everyone, they’re not in a position where they can do just that.
That means some important decisions on general manager Ryan Pace’s part, where several key defensive contributors are no longer under contract. Whether that’s safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, defensive tackle Nick Williams or the trio of inside linebackers in Nick Kwiatkoski, Danny Trevathan and Kevin Pierre Louis.
The Bears are going to need to part with most of them, which won’t be easy. But which player would be absolutely necessary to let go?
Bleacher Report believes that the Bears should let Danny Trevathan walk in free agency.
Trevathan’s time out this year allowed Nick Kwiatkoski the opportunity to prove himself, and he did just that. The two played almost identical snaps this season, with Kwiatkoski on the field for 512 defensive snaps to Trevathan’s 559. Yet, the younger Kwiatkoski put up better numbers while also playing a large role on special teams.
The main focus will be on those three inside linebackers. While Chicago should be able to re-sign Pierre-Louis, the focus centers on whether the Bears should target Kwiatkoski or Trevathan to line-up opposite Roquan Smith.
Both Kwiatkoski and Trevathan had solid seasons for the Bears in 2019. Trevathan was arguably the best player on defense before he went down with a gruesome elbow injury against the Lions in Week 10.
Kwiatkoski shined in relief of the injured Trevathan, which seemingly made Chicago’s decision between the pair even more difficult.
There are reports that the Bears are going to make Kwiatkoski a priority in free agency, given Trevathan’s age and injury history.
But if the Bears can’t afford to re-sign Kwiatkoski, they should make it a priority to bring back Trevathan.
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