LB Danny Trevathan agrees to join Bears
— -- CHICAGO -- The Chicago Bears made their first big move in free agency, agreeing to a contract with Denver Broncos inside linebacker Danny Trevathan.
Trevathan provides the Bears with a much-needed upgrade to anchor the middle of the defense.
Entering his fifth NFL season, Trevathan played three years in Denver under Bears coach John Fox and has a built-in comfort level with Chicago's 3-4 defensive scheme.
The Bears struggled to establish consistency at inside linebacker last year, relying on a rotating cast of characters that included former first-round pick Shea McClellin and Christian Jones.
General manager Ryan Pace said at the NFL scouting combine the club does have a certain degree of interest in re-singing McClellin, who is also an unrestricted free agent after the team declined his fifth-year option.
The 2015 season marked a bounce-back for Trevathan after he spent much of the 2014 season out of the lineup with three separate injuries to his left leg. After the third injury, Trevathan went to injured reserve.
He led the team in tackles in two of the past three seasons, topping 100 tackles in those two years.
But he started all but one game in the regular season in 2015 and all three of the team's postseason games.
Trevathan is a three-down linebacker who has played both in the 3-4 scheme the Broncos played this past season as well as the 4-3 scheme Fox and then-defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio used in his first three seasons with the team.
As Trevathan has put it: "I feel like I can play anywhere anybody needs me to play."
Trevathan, who turns 26 on March 24, was the Broncos' sixth-round pick in 2012.
ESPN Bears reporter Jeff Dickerson and Broncos reporter Jeff Legwold contributed to this report.
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