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This is not an ideal start to the season for Chicago Bears starting linebacker Danny Trevathan.
The 31-year-old veteran is set to begin his sixth year with the Bears and his 10th in the league on the injured reserve list as he deals with what general manager Ryan Pace has called a “bothersome” knee issue. The inside linebacker will miss at least the first three weeks of the regular season, and won’t return to action until Week 4 or later. Trevathan missed time during training camp with a knee issue, which is concerning, as those types of injuries tend to linger.
“Yeah, with him you know he’s had a knee that’s kind of been bothersome this camp and our plan, especially with these IR rules being pretty flexible for us, is to go ahead and get him on there and let him kind of take his time,” Pace said on September 1. “Make sure he’s 100% before we put him out there. We’re just kind of working through that. Make sure we get him 100%. It’s what is best for him. It’s what is best for us.”
How long Trevathan will be out is still in question, and it looks like veteran free agent addition Alec Ogletree will be starting in his place.
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Ogletree Has a Chance to Usurp Trevathan
Ogletree, who was a first-round pick for the Los Angeles Rams in 2013, has also played for both New York teams, the Jets and the Giants. He landed with Chicago in early August and has impressed ever since. He had seven tackles (five solo, one for loss) and a pass defensed in the team’s first two preseason games. The Bears gave him the third game off and, oddly enough, started Trevathan.
The veteran LB has amassed 679 tackles (44 for loss, 7.5 sacks, 12 interceptions (four of which he returned for touchdowns) and 12 forced fumbles over his career. If he can produce this season, Ogletree, who turns 30 in September, could take over the starting insider linebacker slot alongside Roquan Smith, particularly if Trevathan sits longer than three weeks.
For his part, Trevathan said this on August 26:
“I feel great. It’s fun knowing the game and being around guys and helping guys get better and still being able to play at a high level. I like when people don’t think that I can do something. It motivates me more.”
One odd aspect to all of this? Why was he playing at all in the third preseason game if his knee had been bothering him? The Bears chose to rest Ogletree and start Trevathan, which, in retrospect, seems more than a little odd. And why was he saying how great he felt less than a week before he was placed on injured reserve? It doesn’t really add up.
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The Bears Have an Age Problem
Trevathan played all 16 games last year, but he got off to a slow start, and he had hoped he could start hot this year. That won’t be the case, and you have to wonder how much longer this aging Bears defense can hold up.
After all 32 teams formed their respective 53-man rosters on August 31, it was determined that the Bears now have the oldest team in football heading into the 2021 season. Not ideal, particularly considering how much money they have invested in it.
Defensive lineman Akiem Hicks turns 32 in November, safety Tashaun Gipson turned 31 in August, linebacker Robert Quinn is 31 and superstar Khalil Mack hit 30 in February. All are starters.
The Bears don’t seem too concerned about it, though.
“I think when you talk about the age thing, my experience has been very, very diverse in this league with that and it’s really up to the individual player and how they prepare their bodies and their minds for the game and each player is very different in what they need to do to get ready for a game in a longer season and our guys are more veteran guys that have responded very well and they all understand that.” Bears defensive coordinator Sean Desai said on August 19, adding:
“The expectation is still the expectation, we’re not changing the expectation because somebody’s younger or old. I think you manage that for everybody on an individual basis regardless of age. Age is one factor only, but it’s not the only or the deciding factor.”
We’ll know soon enough if he’s right.
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