LAKE FOREST, Ill. (670 The Score) -- Thirty minutes before kickoff of a game that broke the Bears' four-game losing streak, the team gathered around linebacker Danny Trevathan at Soldier Field.
An eight-year veteran, Trevathan has won a Super Bowl and also lost 13 games in a single season. He has experienced the highs the game can bring and also endured the lows. Through it all, the 29-year-old Trevathan has been the same positive presence to his teams, no matter the circumstances. It's why the Bears listen when he talks.
In gathering the Bears together 30 minutes before a win against the Lions on Sunday, Trevathan reminded them of the frustration in their losing streak, preaching for his teammates to give their greatest effort to earn the victory they needed.
"Everybody plays for different reasons," Bears linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis said of Trevathan. "But it's definitely a blessing when you got somebody who's living it. That's who D.T. is.
"It's something. You can tell that in his play. You don't know what guys play for, but you can tell when they're playing for something. Whatever his 'why' is, you can tell is means something."
The Bears are prepared to move forward without Trevathan, who suffered a gruesome injury to his left elbow Sunday. He underwent an MRI on Monday and was expected to undergo more testing Tuesday, coach Matt Nagy said. The extent of Trevathan's injury still remains unclear, but it doesn't take a doctor's eye to understand its significant nature.
The realistic best-case scenario is Trevathan can return later this season. What's more likely is the Bears will place him on season-ending injured reserve, removing a key figure from their defense in the final year of his contract.
"Danny Trevathan is an unbelievable person," inside linebackers coach Mark DeLeone said. "He's special. His leadership is special. He's one of the toughest players I've ever coached. You're always going to miss that."
Signed by the Bears in March 2016, Trevathan has 327 tackles, nine sacks, three interceptions and three forced fumbles over 46 games with Chicago. His impact also goes beyond the statistics.
When Trevathan went down with his injury, backup linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski stepped in. He posted nine tackles, a sack and an interception as the Bears defense didn't miss a beat. Part of that success stemmed from the way Trevathan helped prepare Kwiatkoski, DeLeone said.
Trevathan is a constant presence helping his younger linebackers grow -- "like having another coach in the room," DeLeone said -- whether it's working on technique in practice or the details of the game plan that week. Nagy called him "a natural-born leader."
"It's just a credit to (Trevathan) and how special he is," DeLeone said.
Even during the Bears' rise last season, with their defense emerging as a dominant force, Trevathan was still under-appreciated. He hasn't made the Pro Bowl once over eight seasons despite consistently strong play.
Trevathan's presence isn't taken for granted by the Bears, who know they will miss a key figure moving forward.
"You see in the league, a lot of teams don't have that," linebacker Joel Iyiegbuniwe said of Trevathan. "When they go through tough stretches like we were going through, it's kind of hard to break out of that.
"He knows what to say, what to do, how to lead, to take a group of guys to go fight with him."
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago's sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.
