Bears ILB Danny Trevathan considered opting out of 2020 season

The Bears only had two players that chose to forgo the 2020 season, but they were close to losing another valuable member of their defense.

The Chicago Bears suffered a brutal blow to their defense with nose tackle Eddie Goldman choosing to opt out of the 2020 season due to health and safety concerns amid COVID-19. New Bears safety Jordan Lucas also chose to opt out.

While the Bears only had two players that ultimately chose to forgo the 2020 season, they were close to losing another valuable member of their defense.

Inside linebacker Danny Trevathan told reporters that he considered opting out of the 2020 season due to health concerns with his family as his fiancée and his children have asthma.

“I was definitely concerned about the virus,” Trevathan said Friday, via the team’s website. “I definitely took some hard thought about the whole situation. My fiancée? That’s like my backbone. She has chronic asthma and allergies that are crazy. So I really thought about her and all the sacrifices she made. I took it into consideration just because of her and her sacrifice and how important family is and how important she is to me.”

Ultimately, Trevathan decided not to opt out after he saw what safety measures the Bears had implemented at Halas Hall. Following a massive expansion last year, the Bears were able to make sure high-traffic areas like the cafeteria, locker room, training room, weight room and meeting rooms met the guidelines of social distancing.

“I had to see it firsthand, so I came in and I feel like they did a pretty good job handling the situation,” Trevathan said. “You know, this thing is so wild. It’s the first year I’ve ever seen something like this, anybody’s seen something like this, so it definitely made me nervous a little bit. But I feel like I made the right decision.”

[vertical-gallery id=451917]

[lawrence-related id=452111,452083,452060,451967,452047]

Which Bears players will step up in Eddie Goldman’s absence?

Our Bears Wire staff shares their thoughts on which player they believe will rise to the occasion in NT Eddie Goldman’s absence in 2020.

The Chicago Bears suffered a brutal blow to their defense when nose tackle Eddie Goldman chose to opt out of the 2020 season due to health and safety concerns amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Goldman’s absence will be felt in the middle of that defensive line, especially when it comes to clogging up running lanes and doing the dirty work in the trenches. Which means that the Bears defense is going to need some of those players on the defensive line to step up in Goldman’s absence.

Our Bears Wire staff shares their thoughts on which player they believe will rise to the occasion in Goldman’s absence.

Alyssa: DT Bilal Nichols

Quinn Harris-USA TODAY Sports

While the loss of Eddie Goldman is a devastating one, it does provide an opportunity for someone like defensive tackle Bilal Nichols to step up in his absence, especially given that Nichols is going to see an increased workload. Nichols was already expected to be a big contributor this season. But with Goldman’s absence, it’s more imperative than ever that Nichols go from average to great on this defensive line.

The Bears have one of the best run defenses in the NFL last season, a testament to Goldman’s ability to clog up running lanes. Now, Nichols, a former fifth-round pick out of Delaware, has an opportunity to step up in that same area, something he’s already shown he can do. Losing Goldman is absolutely brutal for this defense. But if it allows Nichols to step up in his third season, there could certainly be a silver lining.

[lawrence-related id=452024,451988,451783]

Matt Nagy has ‘no idea’ whether Bears will have more opt-outs ahead of deadline

Matt Nagy believes his team is in a great place, but there’s no way to know what will happen between now and Thursday’s opt-out deadline.

The Chicago Bears have had two players decide to forgo the 2020 season due to health and safety concerns with COVID-19, including nose tackle Eddie Goldman and safety Jordan Lucas. While the losses are significant, especially Goldman, the Bears understand and respect those players’ decisions to opt out.

The NFL set a Thursday deadline for players to decide to opt out, but it excludes emergency situations if a close family member gets sick with COVID-19 or if players are newly diagnosed with a high-risk condition. As of Wednesday, there have been 60 players that have opted out of the 2020 season.

When asked if he believes any other Bears players might opt out, head coach Matt Nagy was upfront with his answer. While he believes his team is in a great place, there’s no way to know what will happen between now and Thursday’s late-afternoon deadline.

“We have no idea,” Nagy told reporters on Wednesday. “I think right now the pulse of our team, we’re in a really good place. We’re kind of in a rhythm right now. You ask some of the guys how they’re feeling in regards to the setup that we have here, and controlling what we can control is giving them a lot of space.

“And then also just talking through this whole procedure, everything about it, we spent a lot of time into where we’re at and how we go about it and the details of everything and then we let them make their decision. But I think for them it’s just to make the best decision for them, and then we fully support anybody that does that.”

The deadline for any other Bears players to opt out is Thursday at 3 p.m. CT.

[vertical-gallery id=451917]

[lawrence-related id=451949,451783,451924,451012]

NFL sets opt-out deadline for Bears, league this Thursday

There’s been a lot of discussion surrounding the NFL’s opt-out deadline, and it appears the deadline has been set for Thursday.

If there’s one word to describe the NFL in 2020, it’s uncertainty. Uncertainty surrounding the regular season. Uncertainty surrounding the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in the game.

One of the options that’s been put on the table has been an opt-out option, where players can forgo the 2020 season in exchange for a stipend. There’s been a lot of discussion surrounding the NFL’s opt-out deadline, specifically when the deadline would finally be set.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the NFL and NFLPA have agreed to set the opt-out deadline for this Thursday at 3 p.m. ET.

There have been nearly 50 players that have elected to opt out. The Bears have already had two players opt out for the 2020 season: Nose tackle Eddie Goldman and safety Jordan Lucas.

Goldman’s opt-out is a brutal blow to Chicago’s defensive line. But general manager Ryan Pace believes in the players on the roster to step up in his absence. John Jenkins is the in-house candidate to replace Goldman, although the Bears could certainly turn to free agency for his replacement.

With Lucas’ decision to opt out, that leaves Tashaun Gipson and Deon Bush to battle for the starting strong safety job opposite two-time Pro Bowler Eddie Jackson.

Last week, Pace told the media that he didn’t expect any other players to opt out after Goldman. Although Lucas has been the lone exception.

[vertical-gallery id=450551]

[lawrence-related id=451853,451847,451802,451252,451621]

Jordan Lucas opts out, Bears activate John Jenkins off COVID reserve list

Safety Jordan Lucas becomes the second Bears player to opt out of the 2020 season following NT Eddie Goldman.

Chicago Bears safety Jordan Lucas has decided to opt-out of the 2020 NFL season due to health and safety concerns about COVID-19, the team announced Monday.

Lucas is now the second player for the Bears that will be sitting out this season. Nose tackle Eddie Goldman was the first player on the Bears roster to opt-out.

The Bears signed Lucas in March after spending two seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs. The 27-year old signed a one year contract worth $1 million.

This comes after the report from ESPN Dan Graziano saying the NFL and NFLPA are expected to extend the opt-out deadline to either Thursday or Friday. The NFL now has over 40 players opting out of the 2020 season.

The Bears have also activated defensive tackle John Jenkins and tight end Eric Saubert off the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Jenkins’ return to the active roster is good news for the Bears, who were left without a true nose tackle on their roster following Goldman’s opt-out and Jenkins being placed on the COVID-19 reserve list. He’s the in-house favorite to replace Goldman this season. Although the Bears could look elsewhere in free agency should they desire.

The Bears also waived offensive lineman Dino Boyd.

[vertical-gallery id=450551]

[lawrence-related id=451802,451252,451621,451830,451823]

3 free agent candidates to replace Bears NT Eddie Goldman

The loss of NT Eddie Goldman is huge for the Bears as depth gets thinner. Here are some free-agent options that can fill the void.

On Tuesday, Chicago Bears defensive tackle Eddie Goldman decided to opt-out of the 2020 NFL season due to the health concerns over COVID-19.

The 26-year old is coming off a year where he started in 15 games and registered one sack and 29 tackles. This offseason the Bears brought back veteran John Jenkins to backup Goldman, but now could be starting on the Bears defensive line.

Jenkins, who is placed on the COVID-19/Reserve list, appeared in 16 games with the Miami Dolphins and recorded 34 tackles and one sack. Backing up Jenkins would be undrafted free agent Lee Autry out of Mississippi State.

The loss of Goldman is huge for the Bears as they lose a key starter and the depth gets thinner. Here are some players that can fill the void.

Damon “Snacks” Harrison

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The 2016 All-Pro is one of the best available free agents left on the market. The 31-year old is coming off a down season with the Detroit Lions, where he totaled 49 tackles and two sacks. Before last season, Damon Harrison has had productive seasons mostly with the New York Giants.

Harrison has fielded a “competitive contract offer” according to Ross Uglam of Packers Report, but that was earlier in the offseason and nothing else has been said. The Bears could still a player from the Packers while upgrading their current defensive tackle situation.

[lawrence-related id=451667,451652,451485]