There are plenty of issues on the Chicago Bears offensive line. Their left tackle is a rookie going through typical inconsistencies. The center and right tackle positions haven’t had a consistent starter all year and will likely be replaced next off-season. It’s a group that has allowed 42 sacks, and five games are still left to play. Seeing things like this makes it difficult to find anything positive to say. Thankfully the emergence of Teven Jenkins has helped take the edge off. Not only do the Bears appear to have one long-term starter in their young right guard, but he continues to show how dominant he can be.
One thing about Jenkins that is fast becoming clear is his presence. Nobody plays with more attitude and nastiness than #76. He is a tone-setter for this group. That was missed a lot last week in Atlanta when he sat out with a hip injury. He apparently wanted to make up for lost time against the New York Jets. The tape is filled with moments of him burying guys into that cold, wet turf. It clearly reached a point where defenders had enough of his aggressiveness and began shoving him after the whistle.
Teven Jenkins is a building block the Bears need.
He’s the only player under 30 years old that can be undeniably called a long-term option. Cody Whitehair has played well, but he’s 31. Braxton Jones has potential at left tackle. However, he needs to improve his strength and technique in pass protection. It is a foregone conclusion that GM Ryan Poles will spend a good part of next spring overhauling the offensive line. The main focus will be getting two guys next to Jenkins that aren’t backups posing as starters, like Sam Mustipher and Larry Borom.
Say this for Ryan Pace. He might’ve saved his best draft for last. Not only did he land a possible star quarterback in Justin Fields, but he also scored a quality offensive lineman in Teven Jenkins. The biggest question with him moving forward isn’t ability. He has that. It is whether he can stay healthy. Through two seasons, he’s already dealt with multiple back issues and a hip problem as well. If he can stay on the field, there is no doubt he’ll be the new enforcer in this offense for years to come.
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Apparently, FootballAtArlington “can’t handle the truth.”
@Thomas Gena- We’ll sit back and wait for more updates from you from your play pen. Tell mommy I said hello. 😉
Ryan Poles should be the last guy on earth in charge of “overhauling” the Chicago Bears offensive line. You forget Erik (as you often do) Ryan Poles wanted to rid the team.of “the problem” 24-year old Teven Jenkins (81.5 grade @ PFF); from the start of training camp through the NFL trading deadline. How stupid is that? The current PFF grades give an indication of the level of Ryan Poles’ personnel evaluation “competence:” Poles let James Daniels (69.4) walk — then tried (and failed) to sign Ryan Bates (59.4) as his replacement. He didn’t like Sam Mustipher (65.7) so he… Read more »
Maybe Chris Morgan should show the rest of the Oline this film and demand they finish like TJ? Dude is just nasty out there and plays TO THE WHISTLE like it should be. Super excited for him, just would like to see him start all 17.
Yeah, Jenkins is a BEAST and next season he will be even better. No one seems to disagree with the state of the Oline. It’s just Awful. But at the same time, people on here seem to desperately want our franchise QB to become more of a pocket passer….Behind THIS Oline that they freely acknowledge is just terrible. Makes absolutely no sense.