The best-kept Chicago Bears secret? It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what that means. Common sense says it’s a player on the roster nobody is talking about but is in fact become a vital gear in the machine they’re building. There are plenty of names to choose from. Just look at their additions this year like receiver Markus Wheaton, defensive end Jaye Howard or cornerback Marcus Cooper.

All three have certain upside to get excited about if things break their way in 2017. However, Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report went even deeper. He feels the Bears are concealing another young talent that quietly flashed his potential last year. Another member of that acclaimed 2016 draft class who delivered a couple impressive highlights.

Best-kept Chicago Bears secret is Nick Kwiatkoski

The name should ring a few bells. Kwiatkoski was a linebacker drafted out of West Virginia last year in the fourth round. GM Ryan Pace actually traded up in order to get him. When injuries and suspension ravaged the inside linebacker position, the young man ended up seeing extended playing time. It was inconsistent at times, but there were a number of flashes that intrigued people.

Seems Davenport and others haven’t forgotten.

As the season progressed, Nick Kwiatkoski went from a little-known fourth-round rookie to a fan favorite who compensated for a lack of elite athleticism by playing like his hair was on fire. Kwiatkoski admitted to Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune that he made some mistakes on the field, but he thinks his play improved as the year moved along. “I can feel a difference in my play. I noticed it more going back and watching film. It’s ‘Oh, I was playing hesitant here.’ Now I can tell on film the ways I’m playing faster.” It’s fixing to be a long year by the shores of Lake Michigan, but a hard-nosed young linebacker from a franchise with a long history of them could provide a welcome distraction.

Kwiatkoski is a better athlete than he gets credit for. He just wasn’t able to show it last year because he was thinking too much on the field. A common trend among rookies, especially on defense. Still, when he got his chances to play physical and create chaos he damn sure didn’t waste them.

Don’t count him out

All in all his first year went well. He finished with 42 tackles, a sack, two passes defended and a forced fumble. That’s solid work for seven total starts. Now he’s going to get his chance to build on that success. Initial belief is Trevathan hasn’t yet fully recovered from his knee injury last season. He could end up on the Physically Unable to Perform list (PUP). That means he’d miss at least the first six weeks of the year.

That will present Kwiatkoski with a huge opportunity. Not only to gain more experience but also perhaps even seize control of the starting job. Unfortunately for Trevathan this is how the NFL works. Do everything possible not to get hurt. Otherwise there is another guy waiting in the wings to try stealing the spot. Swimming in a shark tank, basically.

No doubt Kwiatkoski would love to be that shark for the Bears defense moving forward.