Teven Jenkins went from the future starting left tackle for the Chicago Bears to a middling backup in a matter of months. His fall was a considerable shock to many. Some claimed it was due to personality issues. Others think it was more his shortcomings with footwork and length. Both are considerable necessities to play tackle in the NFL. Throw in the fact he missed over a week of training camp, and some were beginning to think he was done.
Thankfully he returned, but not much had changed. He was still running with the backups at tackle. That carried into the preseason opener against Kansas City. Giving up a pressure and committing a penalty didn’t help his case. It also hurt that Larry Borom looked very good. The coaches had to decide what to do as the team reconvened for practice on Monday. It seems they found their answer, shifting Jenkins inside to right guard.
Teven Jenkins is taking snaps at guard — right guard, to be precise — for the first time.
— Patrick Finley (@patrickfinley) August 15, 2022
This is something many people have called for since training camp began.
While Jenkins had deficiencies for a tackle, his size, athleticism, and power seemed like perfect traits for a guard. Letting his talent go to waste as a backup tackle didn’t feel right. The best way to give him an opportunity to start was to move inside. Michael Schofield, the current projected starter at right guard, had a rough preseason debut. He gave up a sack of Justin Fields and failed to generate any movement on the ground.
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He may have a significant advantage in experience, but Jenkins has him beat based on talent. His strength and nastiness are two things the Bears need up front. Putting him between Lucas Patrick and Riley Reiff would give them a particularly vicious right side of the offensive line. The trick is whether Jenkins can adjust quickly enough. Early returns sounded promising.
Luke Getsy on trying Teven Jenkins at right guard: "The guards get stressed mentally more than the tackles in this system…that's the strength of his game…we want to try that and see what that looks like."
— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) August 15, 2022
Pretty solid. https://t.co/wo4EryTlIp
— Zack Pearson (@Zack_Pearson) August 15, 2022
Teven Jenkins picking up a stunt. I was watching him pretty exclusively when the 2nd team O was on the field and I don’t think he lost a rep pic.twitter.com/GFDoNBOxDu
— Chicago Football Connection (@CFCBears) August 15, 2022
Teven Jenkins’ best hope will be Thursday in Seattle.
The starters figure to play at least another quarter, maybe two. If Schofield struggles again, that could open the door for somebody to unseat him. Presuming Jenkins stays at guard, he’d have the chance to turn heads with a strong performance. Pass protection will be important. That said, it is likely the Bears are looking for somebody that can move people in the ground game. That was Jenkins’ calling card in college.
This development is probably the best for everybody involved. It would be a tragedy for the Bears to throw away a 2nd round pick after only one year. Teven Jenkins has the ability. Lots of it. The challenge was figuring out the best way to deploy it in this offense. If tackle isn’t the answer, then a move to guard was logical. The only frustrating part is that it took this long for the coaches to give it a chance.
Better late than never.
It makes the upcoming game even more intriguing as other roster battles wage. Jenkins can be an excellent guard. Embracing the change is the critical part. He’s spent his football life at tackle, so this is uncharted territory for him. If he senses the opportunity in front of him and goes all-in, it shouldn’t shock anybody if he’s starting next month.
I was happy with the Teven Jenkins draft pick. But now that I’ve watched him play, I can see his strengths and weaknesses. He is a brute, very powerful, but he lacks agility and quick feet. His weakness is that defensive edges and linebackers are too quick for him and they go around him. If he can’t improve in this area, he won’t be the starter.
Late? The guy only played T and was drafted to play T. He was needed there really until 3 things happened. B.Jones emerged. Reiff was signed. Borom demonstrated that he can be a decent backup at RT and LT. Until then, Jenkins kind of had to remain at T. Now, things look different. RG is not a huge learning curve and it fits his skill set. Look for him to get some serious action in the next fake game and possibly start the last one. Can’t wait to see him steamrolling LB’s in the run game. Should be fun.
I do not see Jenkins taking a backseat to anyone at G. He is a mauler and his strength is his nasty physicality. With Jenkins at RG, Monty, Hebert, and Ebner will start getting a lot more chunks in the run game. Reif, Riley, and Jenkins will form one of the top OL trios in the league, adding Whitehair and Jones could finally give the Bears an OL that protects the QB and opens lanes for the RBs.
Good decision.
In the Bears’ coaches’ defense, the reason he may not have been moved to OG sooner, probably was because they wanted to give him a fair shot at earning the starting OT job. And, when they realized he wasn’t cut out for it, he got placed on the injured list again. Better late than never; there’s still four weeks before games count. I just hope he’s a quick learner.