NEWSLETTER
Prior to Sunday’s loss to the Rams, Bears GM Ryan Pace was interviewed on the team’s flagship radio station WBBM 780 AM/105.9 FM, touching on a variety of topics.
You can read up on what Pace said in full here and check out some of the most intriguing bits below, alongside some thoughts/commentary of my own.
On Danny Trevathan’s Possible Return
When Danny Trevathan left in the first quarter of Chicago’s Week 10 win against Detroit, there was a feeling that it’d be the last game the inside linebacker played for Chicago. But Pace opened up a window of possibility in which there’s a real possibility Trevathan returns before season’s end.
“Our plan right now is to just take it week by week,” Pace said. “You know how much Danny means to our team as a player and a leader and we know he’ll be working hard to get back as soon as he can.”
Since his arrival 2015, Trevathan has been a steadying force in the middle of the Bears defense and a leader in the locker room. So, that Trevathan hasn’t shut it down and that the Bears haven’t put him on injured reserve is an encouraging sign. Pace said it all speaks to the type of player Trevathan is, while also crediting the medical team for its work with Trevathan. Indeed, it’s possible that all parties will pump the brakes on Trevathan’s return as the Bears’ playoff hopes dwindled to 1 percent. But still … it should be viewed as a positive sign that Trevathan could be back before season’s end (even if he ultimately does not return).
On the Cody Whitehair-James Daniels Position Swap
Moving Cody Whitehair back to center and sliding James Daniels to left guard was a surprise to some, especially since the team seemed adamant about moving both of those players to the positions they were originally drafted to play. But things didn’t work out as well as the team would have liked, which led the team to put Whitehair back in the middle where he could help each of the young guards flanking him. That the Bears made the call to do this ruffled some feathers among fans, but at least Pace confirmed the decision wasn’t made on a whim.
“It’s one of those things we talked about for a while,” Pace said. “and I think one of the things I like most about our players and coaches is just the ability to adjust and a rapt, look for solutions within a season, which that was, and I think just an example doing what’s best for our team.
Mum’s the Word on Colin Kaepernick
The Bears not one of the 11 teams who were early to commit to seeing Colin Kaepernick’s showcase workout in Atlanta. Nor were they among the 26 teams who had been confirmed (in one way or another) to be in attendance. But on Saturday, Vaughn McClure of ESPN tweeted that a Bears scout was spotted in attendance at the originally scheduled workout. However, as we discussed in Sunday’s Bullets, there are conflicting reports of which teams were at the re-scheduled workout location.
And then, there’s this:
Today’s NFL wire listed seven teams as having attended Colin Kaepernick’s workout on Saturday, per source.
The seven: Detroit, Kansas City, New York Jets, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Tennessee, Washington.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 18, 2019
When asked about Kapernick, Pace didn’t offer much.
“Like any workout, we really keep those things in house and that’s where we’ll keep that one,” Pace said. I’m afraid if I eye-rolled any harder, my eyes would get stuck in the back of my head.
And More …
Pace also discussed things such as what went into the decision to release running back Mike Davis, Khalil Mack’s issues facing extra attention, Nick Kwiatkoski’s emergence, frustrations from the defensive side of the ball, and more. Check it out for a wider scope of what was on Pace’s mind.
