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Chicago Bears Q&A: What’s the future for Danny Trevathan? What are the chances Eddie Goldman returns? And what’s the ‘plan’ for rookie QB Justin Fields?

Brad Biggs, Chicago Tribune
·15 min read

The Chicago Bears just wrapped up their mandatory minicamp — and now have six weeks off before training camp in July. Brad Biggs answers readers’ questions in his Bears mailbag.

What will be different from the Sean Desai defense this season? — Henry B., Las Vegas

That’s a pretty open-ended question and chances are we’re going to have to wait until the regular season to really see what new wrinkles are in store. Teams will practice some of their calls during the preseason, but for the most part they are basic calls with the idea being that they don’t want to show their hand and put stuff on tape before wins and losses count. We’re going to see some shifts in what the defense is asked to do. And we should, after the unit slumped considerably during the second half of last season.

“I’d say he’s bringing a lot more attention to detail to everything that we’re doing,” cornerback Jaylon Johnson said about the defense under Desai. “That’s a big focus point in all aspects of our defense in terms of every position just being more detailed-oriented in our technique and our disguising and things like that. So it’s just about just getting better each and every day, the technique and just kind of learning the defense so we’re being able to play together better.”

Interestingly, free safety Eddie Jackson also mentioned disguising coverages as a difference between what the Bears did previously under Vic Fangio and what they were asked to do the last two seasons by Chuck Pagano. With Desai an apprentice to Fangio, you have to imagine the secondary will be doing more of that again in 2021.

“Nothing (is) really a big difference, you know, just different type of schemes, play-calling wise,” Jackson said. “You know coach Vic (and Pagano), they’re both great coaches, let me start with that. They have a different approach to the game, coach Vic was more of a disguise point, you know have me roaming free, being free, things like that. Coach Chuck would have me try and do things like that early in the year as well and you know it’s just different with schemes, that’s about it.”

Stay tuned for what other differences we might see when the season begins.

What do you think the chances are that Eddie Goldman actually returns to the team? — @tylernol93

There are a million Justin Fields and quarterback questions out there for the Bears, but this is the single-biggest issue to be resolved on Day 1 of training camp. Coach Matt Nagy and inside linebacker Danny Trevathan both projected a good deal of confidence that Goldman will indeed report for training camp. But this is a problem for the Bears until it isn’t.

After opting out last season, Goldman did not show for the mandatory minicamp and wasn’t present at the OTAs open to media, leading one to believe he took a pass on the voluntary offseason program. That’s a red flag for a player who has already been paid by the organization. There’s no way I could put odds on this, but I’ve wondered if the Bears’ optimism Goldman will arrive is, at least in part, a bit of wishful thinking. If no football created a major void in Goldman’s life, you figure he probably would have been eager to show up this spring. That didn’t happen and it’s created questions.

The Bears made a wise move in signing veteran defensive tackle Mike Pennel after a tryout during minicamp. He’s got plenty of experience and has played well in his career. Is he a substitute for Goldman? No, there isn’t a player of that caliber on the street. But the Bears have done pretty well over the last couple years mining free agency for players that prove to be solid rotational pieces. Brent Urban and Mario Edwards Jr. are the most recent examples. We’ll see how this story plays out in late July.

Justin Fields is as ready to start Day 1 as any rookie QB is. He has been playing since he was 5, performed on the highest stage and possesses all the intangibles. I think the Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy “plan” for Fields is really more about Andy Dalton than Fields. Winning is paramount in the NFL, but I have to believe Pace and Nagy need to also show ownership the $10 million spent on Dalton was not a total waste. As long as Dalton keeps a winning record, he likely remains the starter — and finishing 10-7 would likely make the playoffs and keep Fields from starting all year. If, however, Dalton gets off to a 1-3 or 0-4 record, you can bet the pressure in Chicago will be so intense that the secret “plan” will change with Fields starting as soon as Week 5 against the Raiders. Pace and Nagy will claim this was the “plan” all along and that Fields showed he was ready to take over. Unfortunately, Bears fans wanting to see Fields start should root for early season losses and hope he can rebound the team to get in the back end of the playoff picture. What’s your take on what is the “plan” for Fields? — Dan G.; Phoenix, Ariz.

My initial reaction is that after consecutive 8-8 seasons and with a decent list of questions surrounding the roster, and the regression by the defense a year ago, I think the vast majority of Bears fans would sign up right now for a 10-7 season. Sure, some aren’t going to be happy if Dalton is the one leading the way, but there’s nothing bad that can happen for the Bears if Dalton is playing good football. Period. In fact, the better Dalton plays, the better off the Bears are going to be. Dalton playing well in no way impacts he long-term development of Fields. Could it keep him on the sideline and wearing a ballcap for a few more weeks or even months? Sure. The Bears made a long play in trading up to draft Fields and all everyone wants to know is what the short-term plan is.

I disagree that Dalton is being described as the starter because the Bears need to get some return on the $10 million investment. They guaranteed Nick Foles $21 million when they traded for him a little more than a year ago. They paid Chase Daniel $10 million over two seasons to be the backup. They paid Mike Glennon nearly $17 million for a season of service and he went to the bench quickly. That’s the price of doing business at the quarterback position in the NFL.

The last thing Pace and Nagy can do is risk missteps in the development of Fields. They need to bring him along at a natural pace — not a rushed one. I agree with you from the standpoint that if the Bears get off to a rocky start, the calls for Fields to be the starter will become deafening. I also agree that the “plan” will be rolled out in small segments and we’ll be led to believe everything is falling into order. Let’s see how these guys perform in training camp and preseason.

What are the plans for Danny Trevathan? He is not as fast as he was and he gets injured more often. Is he really a three-down player? — Anthony K.

That’s an interesting question and one of the wrinkles we’ll probably have to wait until the regular season to really learn about. New DC Desai isn’t going to share many details about specifically what he has in mind in terms of not only personnel but scheme. Trevathan came off the field at times last season in sub packages, but not all the time. Previously, he and Roquan Smith were three-down linebackers and the Bears liked the idea of having two guys in the middle of the defense that could cover a lot of ground and handle a variety of tasks. Will Trevathan come off the field more, less or about the same with Desai calling things? I don’t know the answer to that right now, but it’s a minor detail that will be interesting to watch. Trevathan was moving around OK during minicamp last week and at least hinted that he’s a little better prepared for this season than he was last year.

“I guess you’ll see,” Trevathan said. “I’m just trying to be prepared. Last year was our first time going through COVID, anybody out here not knowing whether it was safe for you to go out there, with your family, or being able to go out there and do what you wanted. This year’s a little bit different for me. I know what to do and I handle it accordingly.”

Last year, Nagy had Mitch Trubisky on a short leash. If Dalton gets off to a slow start and the Bears are losing or winning ugly like last year, will Nagy make a quick switch again or is there a sense that Dalton will have a certain number of games to start no matter what? — @petermartuneac

A lot of these hypothetical quarterback questions are well thought out and worth wondering about, but they’re hypothetical and I guarantee you Nagy hopes this year’s quarterback situation looks a lot more like the 2017 combo of Alex Smith and Patrick Mahomes and a lot less like the 2020 combo of Trubisky and Nick Foles.

One of the reasons Trubisky wound up being pulled early last season was the quarterback competition the team held during training camp was miserable. Neither quarterback was good. It’s not like he was well ahead of Foles. Both struggled and Trubisky wound up getting the job. I reference that only because it likely played a small factor in Trubisky being benched early in the season.

Nagy has a plan. There is no way it is written in stone and really I think Fields’ development and maturation is going to have a much bigger role in when he gets an opportunity than anything else. Sure, if Dalton falls on his face that could hasten things, but I don’t expect that to happen. Beyond that, it’s just a bunch of speculation at this point. We’ll be able to tell more after preseason but let me caution you know that we’re going to be dealing with a small sample size from three exhibition games.

If the Bears move, can they keep Chicago in front of their name? — @mzilli22

They can call themselves whatever they want if they relocate to Arlington Heights and I have no doubt, in that scenario, they will remain the Chicago Bears. Neither New York team plays in that state. They both play in New Jersey. The San Francisco 49ers moved to Santa Clara, Calif., and Levi Stadium is a haul from San Francisco, especially when there’s traffic. The Washington Football Team plays in Landover, Md. The Dallas Cowboys play in Arlington, Texas. The Buffalo Bills play in Orchard Park, N.Y. The Los Angeles Rams and Chargers play in Inglewood, Calif. You get the point.

Anything about Teven Jenkins catch your attention yet? — @mmueller1070

The only thing that jumped out at me was seeing Jenkins line up with the starters at left tackle at minicamp after he’d been running with the second team during OTAs. Elijah Wilkinson had been the starting left tackle during OTAs but moved over to right tackle with the first unit in minicamp, a move necessitated by what looked like a minor injury that sidelined Germain Ifedi. You can’t draw much from line play when they’re out there without pads on. This is a key storyline to keep an eye on when training camp opens, as the team doesn’t have a player on the roster with an NFL start at left tackle. I’d imagine it’s Jenkins’ job to lose, but we could see Wilkinson with the starters in July and early August as I doubt they want to simply hand the job to Jenkins. It will be fun to see him in one-on-one drills and in preseason, for sure.

Heard a few positives on Damiere Byrd and Marquise Goodwin but radio silence on Riley Ridley and Javon Wims. Are the latter the odd men out in your opinion? — @salted_pepper

Riley was the odd man out when last season ended and he completed a year without being able to push his way onto the field despite little competition after the top two receivers. Wims is limited as a straight-line speed guy. Byrd could quickly emerge as the top candidate to be the slot receiver. He’s got an abundance of speed and experience and I think he could be the leading candidate for that role right now. Goodwin is a speed merchant but he’s a little limited and would probably not offer any value on special teams. To me, he’s kind of like Ted Ginn Jr. was a year ago. The Bears have speed with Darnell Mooney and Byrd, and maybe Goodwin is depth for training camp and preseason. Nagy craves having more speed on offense so perhaps that gives the veteran Goodwin an edge at a roster spot. If Riley or Wims make the team and get decent playing time this season, they will either take a big step forward this summer or the team will have failed at improving the position group.

Circling back to Byrd, he could emerge as a sneaky good addition by the front office. He’s coming off a career-best season with 47 passes for 604 yards over 16 games with the New England Patriots. New England’s passing offense was arguably worse than the Bears, so in a better system (and the Bears are planning to be better at QB), perhaps he can deliver more.

“It’s pretty evident (from) the seasons that he’s had the past few years, and last year being in New England, what he brings is a nice element of speed and playmaking ability with the ball in his hands,” Nagy said. “Then, the other part, too, that I really like is that he’s really a student of the game. He’s able to come in here and digest different positions and not make mistakes or make the same mistake twice. That’s a credit to him. He’s new to this offense. He’s very eager and he’s attentive in meetings, and you can see it on the field.”

Do you think one factor that will determine how soon Fields starts is the quality of play the Bears get at left tackle? Seems like a rookie tackle with a rookie QB is a combination that could hurt the development of both players. — @richard71573569

No. I’ve gotten this question before — and I understand the thinking here — but the Bears are going to have to operate with the belief and trust that the player lining up at left tackle is going to execute his assignment on each and every snap. If you’re holding off putting your best player at one position because you don’t have a good enough player at another position, well, that’s a complete fail. Fields’ time will be determined by his development pace and the performance of Dalton.

Is there reason to be excited about the addition of tight end Jake Butt? — Brett H., Lombard

Sure, from the standpoint that Butt is a no-risk addition who was pretty well regarded coming out of Michigan. The issue with Butt is that he’s struggled to remain healthy since suffering a torn ACL during the Orange Bowl following the 2016 season at Michigan. That injury dropped him to the fifth round of the 2017 draft and he missed his entire rookie season. He got on the field for three games in 2018 before suffering a second ACL injury, one that wiped out his entire 2019 season as well. Butt appeared in five games for the Denver Broncos last season, catching two passes for five yards before a hamstring injury sent him to injured reserve. The Bears could use some depth in the position and obviously Butt showed enough as a tryout player during minicamp to warrant a contract. He’ll be worth keeping an eye on this summer as the Bears are in need of a third tight end behind Cole Kmet and Jimmy Graham. J.P. Holtz looks like he could be the in-line blocker, but the team could keep four tight ends if a fourth shows value.

Are there any non-tryout players that you think the Bears will sign? If so, what position do you think they will address? — @thegeorgetwo

As you know, there’s no such thing as a final roster. It’s constantly in flux, especially during the offseason when the club can carry 90 players. Cornerback is one position to keep an eye on and because it’s known the team has at least considered some veteran options in recent weeks. We know they brought in Morgan Moses, the longtime right tackle in Washington, for a visit. It’s been reported he could sign with the New York Jets. In an ideal world, the Bears get a player with the ability to be an option at left tackle or a backup. But in an ideal world, the Bears aren’t tight against the salary cap. The team is always going to be monitoring the list of available players and it’s not surprising when teams host a handful of players on tryouts at the outset of training camp. Fortunately, it should be a much simpler process to bring in players for tryouts than it was a year ago. Odds seem low the team makes a move that would alter the top of the depth chart before camp opens.