The Chicago Bears will place linebacker Danny Trevathan on injured reserve to start the season, opening up a spot on the roster.
The Chicago Bears brought down their roster to the 53-man limit on Tuesday. One of the biggest surprises was them carrying a total of seven inside linebackers. That left a void at cornerback, where they carried only four.
Today, we know why the Bears had it that way. While it isn’t official, the team will place linebacker Danny Trevathan on the short-term injured reserve list. That means he’ll miss at least the first three games of the season.
In his place, Alex Ogletree becomes the starter. He’ll play alongside Roquan Smith. The Bears signed Ogletree on August 4th. He then proceeded to play incredibly during training camp, recording six interceptions in his first four practices. His success continued into the preseason. He made a big tackle for loss in the first preseason game against the Miami Dolphins. Miami had the ball on the Bears’ one-yard line. Ultimately, they settled for a field goal.
Ogletree was the Los Angeles Rams’ first-round pick in 2013. Ironically, Ogletree and the Bears face the Rams in Week 1.
There is no word yet on what injury Trevathan has. He played in the final preseason game against the Tennessee Titans and had a good game, recording 3 tackles, 2 passes defended, and an interception in the short time he played. He looked good at the time, so something happened between then and now.
In his time with Chicago, Trevathan battled injuries. He missed 18 games in his five seasons with the Bears. He did, however, record 113 tackles last season. That was the second-highest total in his career. With him missing at least three games, he won’t reach that number this season.
With Ogletree’s success in training camp and the preseason, he has an opportunity to keep the starting job permanently. If his success continues into the regular season, that is a distinct possibility.
As mentioned earlier, the move clears a roster spot. The Bears placed offensive lineman Teven Jenkins on injured reserve as well. That means the team has two roster openings. They’ll scour the waiver wire to find players.
After cutting Desmond Trufant, Artie Burns, and Thomas Graham Jr., the Bears have only four cornerbacks. General manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy almost certainly have that in mind when looking to bolster that unit.
WIth one of the two roster spots open, the Bears claimed another former Rams player, Nsimba Webster. Webster is a kick return specialist. With Tarik Cohen still on the PUP list, the Bears needed one. Webster returned 25 punts for 185 yards as a member of the Rams last year, and added 16 kick returns for 347 yards.
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