Short snapper: Trevathan at 48%
The Bears drastically reduced inside linebacker Danny Trevathan’s playing time Sunday, one week after he appeared a step slow and almost gave up the game-winning touchdown.
Trevathan played 90% of the Bears’ defensive snaps in Week 1 and was replaced by safety Deon Bush in what defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano was careful to point out was a predetermined package on pass downs.
Against the Giants, Trevathan played less than half of the Bears’ defensive snaps at 48%. Bush played 38% of the defensive downs.
That usage is unusual for Trevathan — and concerning to a team that just gave him a three-year, $21.75 million deal in March. In the eight games that he started and finished last year, he played 100% of the snaps six times and never less than 84%.
In Week 2 last year, at altitude in Denver, he played all 82 snaps.
“I think with Danny, package-wise, where we were at yesterday and as we go here, our coaches are doing a pretty good job of getting different guys in at different times,” coach Matt Nagy said Monday, “based off of situations, where you’re at in the game.”
Trevathan hasn’t appeared on the injury report this season. On Friday, he said “I feel like myself ” but “didn’t play the way I wanted to” against the Lions.
Nagy referred to carving out the proper snap count for Trevathan and wide receiver Anthony Miller, who played 40% of the offensive snaps, as a “juggling act” based on personnel preferences. And he didn’t apologize for it.
“Which is OK,” he said. “But we’ve got to be good with that.”
TE blocking
Through two games, Bears tight ends have totaled only five catches for 55 yards. Rookie Cole Kmet has one catch for 12 yards, and free-agent addition Jimmy Graham has the rest.
“Production-wise and stat-line-wise right now, you probably don’t see and you for sure don’t see what we want it to be at,” Nagy said. “But I’m OK with that just because of the way that these first two games have gone.”
Nagy was pleased with how Graham, Kmet, Demetrius Harris and J.P. Holtz blocked in the run game against the Giants.
He even credited Graham, who’s not known for his blocking, with good hits Sunday.
“That’s a huge part of this run game,” he said. “Those tight ends are getting after it, and they’re enjoying it.”
Christian to practice squad
The Bears put safety Marqui Christian on the practice squad. He was eligible to return after serving a two-game suspension incurred in the offseason before the Bears signed him in August. He was one of the Rams’ most reliable special-teams players the last three seasons.