What happened last Sunday isn’t exactly what Teven Jenkins had in mind. The 2nd round pick finally returned after months of recovering from back surgery. He’d just started practicing again, banging pads for the first time really since December of 2020. Then in only his second game, Jason Peters gets injured and the rookie is thrown onto the field at a position he’s still unfamiliar with against one of the best defenses in the NFL. On the road, no less.
So it shouldn’t have been a big surprise Jenkins struggled. He gave up seven pressures on the evening, including two sacks. On top of that, he committed four penalties. Not exactly the debut the kid was hoping for. It would be easy to get discouraged after something like that. So how has the young tackle handled it? According to center Sam Mustipher, the response has been exactly what the team was hoping for.
Getting right back to work, seeking ways to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
One good thing about how the Bears have approached the draft in recent years? They seem to have put a greater emphasis on finding guys who are grinders. Players that have a natural tendency to work hard. This is illustrated by their young quarterback Justin Fields. His work ethic has already turned heads at Halas Hall over the past several months. It appears his new left tackle exhibits similar characteristics.
This was never going to be easy for Teven Jenkins. Especially getting thrown into the absolute worst situation imaginable. Limited preparation time. A new position. On the road against a talented pass rush. A coaching staff that didn’t do nearly enough to ease his burden. There will be better days ahead. Especially if he continues to work with the same mentality he seems to already have.
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If the Bears get him better coaching next year? There is no telling how much better he can get.
