Inside Linebackers
| 2019 | 2020 |
| Danny Trevathan | Danny Trevathan |
| Roquan Smith | Roquan Smith |
| Nick Kwiatkoski | Joel Iyiegbuniwe |
| Kevin Pierre-Louis | Josh Woods |
| Joel Iyiegbuniwe | Keandre Jones |
| Josh Woods | Rashad Smith |
| Jameer Thurman |
The Bears had a dominant tag-team at inside linebacker in Danny Trevathan and Roquan Smith, who both were playing their best football before suffering injury at different points during the 2019 season. Trevathan suffered a gruesome elbow injury in Week 10, which ultimately forced him to miss the remainder of the season. Smith, who got off to a slow start, was coming into his own in his sophomore season before suffering a torn pectoral muscle in Week 14 against the Dallas Cowboys. Ultimately, it was the depth at inside linebacker — specifically the play of Nick Kwiatkoski and Kevin Pierre-Louis — that contributed to Chicago’s continued defensive success.
Heading into 2020, the Bears return their two starting inside linebackers in Trevathan and Smith, which is huge for this defense. But the concern is depth at inside linebacker. The Bears are in trouble if something happens to Trevathan or Smith, as they lack the depth from a season ago with Kwiatkoski and Pierre-Louis, who both signed elsewhere in free agency. Chicago also returns Joel Iyiegbuinwe and Josh Woods and signed Keandre Jones and Rashad Smith in undrafted free agency to serve as depth.
Advantage: 2019
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