Previewing the Chicago Bears inside linebackers for 2017

A complete preview of the Chicago Bears inside linebackers for the 2017 season.

We at Da Windy City are previewing each and every position for the Chicago Bears‘ 2017 season. The offense is done and now we are working on the defense. Over the last two days, we have looked at the defensive line and outside linebackers. Today, we are going to take a look at the inside linebackers.

The inside linebacker position for the Bears might be the most important position for this defense. Vic Fangio counts on his inside linebackers to be major players both against the run and the pass. Who are the Chicago Bears’ inside linebackers? You have Jerrell Freeman, Danny Trevathan, John Timu, Nick Kwiatkoski, Christian Jones and Jonathan Anderson.

The starters

Let’s start with the likely starters; Jerrell Freeman and Danny Trevathan. I truly believe that both players can have a phenomenal season if they stay healthy. Both Freeman and Trevathan are major keys for this defense. They are both talented players who are leaders of the entire unit.

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Trevathan is still recovering from the serious knee injury that he suffered last season. He is ahead of schedule and appears on track to be in the starting lineup for Week 1 of the regular season. We will not see much of Trevathan this preseason but he is going to be a major part of this defense.

Second-year player Nick Kwiatkoski is an interesting linebacker who brings a well-rounded skill set to the mix. He played in some games last season and was impressive. Kwiatkowski is an extremely athletic linebacker who excels in pass coverage. He has major upside and could play an important role for the team on special teams. If Trevathan does miss some time, Kwiatkoski will probably be the next man up, but he will play a role regardless.

The rest

Next up we have John Timu. Timu had some playing time last season at the inside linebacker position and didn’t disappoint. Timu is a grinder on the inside who shows strong ability against the run. As long as Freeman and Trevathan stay healthy, Timu is probably just a special teams player. 

Christian Jones has been impressive in training camp and could push Kwiatkowski as the third inside linebacker. Jones has always shown a lot of athletic upside. Could this be the year he finally puts it all together? At worst, expect Jones to play a major role on special teams. Anderson is probably the odd man out at the position. However, I could see him making the Chicago Bears roster as depth and a special teams asset.

Next: Previewing the Bears' edge rushers

The inside linebacker position for the Bears has some depth, which is very good. I’m expecting a big season from each player in this position. Some of the players might not even play the inside linebacker this season, but will definitely have a big role on special teams.