Getty Head coach Matt Eberflus of the Chicago Bears.
The Chicago Bears currently find themselves without a defensive coordinator after Alan Williams resigned on September 20 — but former starting linebacker Danny Trevathan wants the team to know his services are available.
Trevathan, who hadn’t used Twitter in over two years, made his pitch to Chicago on the social media platform now known as X: “DT the DC,” he wrote on September 20. “Y’all know the number.”
It’s unclear how serious Trevathan, who hasn’t played since the 2021 season, is about making the transition to coaching, but his resumé as a player is a strong one.
Danny Trevathan Spent the Bulk of His Career Playing for the Bears
DT the DC 🤔? Y’all know the number 😎
Trevathan, 33, was a sixth-round draft pick for the Denver Broncos in 2012. He spent four seasons in the Mile High City and was a big part of a Broncos defense that helped Denver win the 2016 Super Bowl.
The Bears initially signed Trevathan to a four-year, $28 million contract in 2016, months removed from his Super Bowl victory, and they inked him to an extension in 2020. The inside linebacker spent six years in Chicago, playing in 67 games (62 starts).
He amassed 459 total tackles (310 solo, 19 for loss), 16 QB hits, 21 passes defensed, four forced fumbles, three interceptions and 7.0 sacks over his career with the Bears, establishing himself as a hard-hitter with a strong work ethic.
Unfortunately, Trevathan’s tenure in Chicago was marred by injuries. He suffered a ruptured patellar tendon toward the end of the 2016 season, and an ugly elbow injury against the Detroit Lions ended his 2019 season in Week 10. A knee injury cut his final season in Chicago short, as he played five games in 2021 before going down for the remainder of the year. He played just two full seasons with the Bears.
Bears Likely Looking to Promote In-House Candidate for DC
If the #Bears do opt to replace Alan Williams, and promote a defensive coordinator, the most likely name to watch is current linebackers coach Dave Borgonzi, who was with Matt Eberflus in Dallas from 2011-2014 and then Indianapolis from 2018-2021.
Whether Trevathan was serious or not, the likelihood is that the Bears will promote their next DC in-house. The former Bears LB also has no experience coaching at either the collegiate level or in the pros, so he’s not going to be a serious candidate.
Bears head coach Matt Eberflus has been mum about what the team plans to do to replace Williams, but he said he had faith in the defensive staff he has assembled.
“We have [safeties coach] Andre Curtis, [cornerbacks coach] Jon Hoke, all those guys that have great experience. Guys that have been in our system. [Linebackers coach Dave] Borgonzi, [assistant defensive backs coach David] Overstreet, all those guys are working diligently so we’re prepared and ready to go,” Eberflus said about his staff on September 20.
Hoke, who has 18 years of experience coaching in various capacities, is a strong candidate. Borgonzi, who served the same role under Eberflus in Indianapolis with the Colts, is another.
Hoke and Curtis were on a list of five coaches named by NBC Sports Chicago as potential candidates if the Bears decide to replace Williams. The September 20 story by Alex Shapiro also mentioned former Bears head coach Lovie Smith; Rod Marinelli, who worked with Eberflus in Dallas; and former Bears star Leslie Frazier.
Despite a glaring question mark at one of its primary coordinator positions, the Bears say they aren’t falling apart after Williams’ sudden resignation.
“Coach Flus talks about it all the time, leadership starts with yourself, we lead by example and we take it to the unit room, we stay focused on our task and the guys have done a great job of sticking together through all this stuff,” Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy said. “I’m not saying any of this stuff is easy for these guys to be able to deal with but they’ve been pros, they’ve been doing a great job and the coolest thing about it is everyone is staying the same as far as staying true to who they are and what they believe in.”
Look for Chicago to announce its new DC after its Week 3 contest against the Kansas City Chiefs.