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ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Broncos took a big hit on the first day of free agency in the NFL on Wednesday.

Not only did defensive end Malik Jackson bolt for the Jacksonville Jaguars and quarterback Brock Osweiler opted for the Houston Texans, but linebacker Danny Travathan signed a four-year contract with the Chicago Bears.

The contract is worth $24 million with $12 million guaranteed, and it reunites Trevathan with John Fox, who was coach of the Broncos during his first two seasons in Denver.

Trevathan said before Super Bowl 50 that he expected to get a lot of interest on the free agent market and knew the Broncos had a tight budget.

The loss of Travathan and Jackson, who signed a six-year, $90 million deal with Jacksonville, leaves the Broncos with two big holes to fill on their league-leading defense that helped propel them to the Super Bowl title.

Several leg injuries kept Travathan sidelines for all but three games in 2014. He had reconstructive knee surgery in January 2015 but returned to record a team-high 109 tackles, two interceptions (one was returned for a touchdown) and six passes defended.

In the 24-10 win over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50, Trevathan had two fumble recoveries, including one for a touchdown.

Todd Davis is expected to move up the depth chart and will compete to replace Trevathan. Davis made two starts last season.

[findthebest id=”5zF1NP6K5w1″ title=”Danny Trevathan Overview” width=”640″ height=”597″ url=”https://w.graphiq.com/w/5zF1NP6K5w1″ link=”http://football-players.pointafter.com/l/20930/Danny-Trevathan” link_text=”Danny Trevathan Overview | PointAfter”]

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