Bears’ Danny Trevathan hopes to play Sunday with custom cast

Though his coordinator remains skeptical Danny Trevathan can excel with a cast covering his surgically repaired right thumb, the Bears’ inside linebacker says he has evidence otherwise: he led the SEC in tackles in 2010 with a cast on his hand.

“It’s hard to play linebacker anyway,” said the Kentucky alum, who also wore a cast in 2009 and led the league in tackles in 2011, too. “It just adds fuel to it.”

Fifteen days after having surgery to reattach his torn right thumb ligament, Trevathan said Thursday he wants to play Sunday against the Colts. After he returning to practice Wednesday, he was once again limited Thursday.

The Bears have custom-made a cast for Trevathan that allows his four other fingers to function well.

“I’m not very limited with the cast,” he said.

Some are skeptical, though. Linebackers need their hands to fend off blockers and make tackles, coach John Fox said. Fangio has had cornerbacks and linebackers try to wear a cast in the past, but it wasn’t pretty; they were unable to grab.

“That’s why they call it four fingers and a thumb,” Fangio said. “The thumb is more important than the other ones.”

Nonetheless, Trevathan doesn’t remember how his thumb was injured against the Eagles — he presumes it was hit by a facemask or that he landed awkwardly.

It wasn’t until after the game he noticed it dangling toward his wrist; the ligament wasn’t holding it up anymore.

“Sometimes it’s just one of them things that you never feel until after the game,” he said. “You get home and it’s like, ‘My finger’s way down here?’

“I saw my finger. I’m like, there’s something wrong, man. I’m glad I went and got it done so I could be here right now and working my way back.”

The return of Trevathan — who signed a four-year, $24.5 million contract this offseason to leave the Super Bowl champion Broncos — would be a boost to the injury-depleted Bears, though John Timu was solid on run downs against the Lions.

Jerrell Freeman, who signed with the Bears thee days after Trevathan did, will be excited to play beside him again.

“It’s good having guys out there that you can trust, especially a talent like Danny,” he said. “It’s great for our defense. It’s the reason he came here, it’s the reason I came here, you know what I mean?”

Everyday activities still pain Trevathan; he can’t pick things off the ground with his right hand, and said he was lucky to have a remote entry to his house so he didn’t have to turn a key.

Trevathan won’t be the same Sunday, then. But he might still be good enough to give the defense a boost.

“Linebackers do those type of things,” he said. “It’s an up and down injury. It depends on how I feel and what’s going on with the stipulations.

“But right now I’m just looking forward to doing anything and everything I can to make sure I get back out on that field.”

Follow me on Twitter @patrickfinley

Email: pfinley@suntimes.com