CHICAGO (670 The Score) -- Bears linebacker Danny Trevathan was selected sixth round a decade ago, a player forced to fight for even a rookie season before reaching a 10th year in this league.
The 31-year-old Trevathan is an outlier in the NFL -- a player drafted on Day 3 who owns a Super Bowl ring, has earned multiple lucrative contracts and carved out an esteemed career. Trevathan boasts tremendous talent at the inside linebacker position and also a desire to be great that's driven him this far.
It's why Trevathan isn't interested in discussing his struggles through part of the 2020 season. The disappointment he feels is clear, even if he won't go into detail with his words.
“Last year was last year," Trevathan said. "I’m not really worried about that, but I know what to do this year and I’m working my tail off. I know what I expect of myself, and I know what my team needs and I’m going to give them all of that.”
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Trevathan didn't make excuses for his poor 2020 season, but Bears coach Matt Nagy provided his reasoning. He saw a player who struggled getting up to speed after being unable to prepare his veteran body while training facilities were closed during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
NFL offseason programs were conducted virtually in 2020. Training camps finally began in earnest midway through August on a truncated schedule that set many players back.
"He fought right back and got back into where he needed to be," Nagy said in defense of Trevathan, with whom he shares a close connection.
Still, Trevathan didn't produce at the level he consistently had throughout his career in the first season of a new three-year deal that he signed in March 2020. His performance ranked 76th out of 83 inside linebackers across the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus. By comparison, fellow Bears linebacker Roquan Smith was 17th. Ranking 18th just behind Smith was Raiders linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski, whom the Bears allowed to walk in free agency after re-signing Trevathan.
Trevathan played a full 16-game season for the fourth time in his career and recorded his second-most combined tackles with 113, but there was discussion about whether he's on the decline.
So Trevathan committed himself to a new offseason regimen that included boxing, something he picked up in Los Angeles and plans to continue.
“Every game is a title fight," Trevathan said. "I just wanted to incorporate some stuff that I heard around the league that was real good and guys that recently played the position, that it was good cardio and it works everything. So I tried to get that into my workout, and it worked really well for me.
“Just like my overall providing strength core, balance, being able to strike and get off and overall fight the fatigue. That’s something you get through boxing. You have to keep going for round for round for round."
The Bears are hoping their defense can return to its dominant form like in 2018. Since that time, the group has put on mileage and regressed. While Smith has taken the proverbial torch as the leader at inside linebacker, Trevathan will be relied upon to be at his best once again.
Trevathan has all the motivation he needs to bounce back this season. Now in his 10th season, he's still a sixth-round pick with something to prove.
"It’s all about how you finish," Trevathan said. "Don’t ever let anybody stop you. I was (pick No.) 188. I carry that with me right now. And it’s still pushing me. I’m not finished yet."
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.