Preseason Stock Watch: John Jenkins
How was defensive tackle John Jenkins stock affected by his first performance in the preseason?
Jenkins was signed this offseason after spending 2016 on the Seattle Seahawks and New Orleans Saints. The Bears signed Jenkins after their nose tackle situation fell apart last season with the injury to Eddie Goldman. The Bears essentially shuffled pieces at the position and never really found a fix for the hole.
Jenkins entered camp in a training camp battle with C.J. Wilson. Wilson was one of those pieces that had already proven to be unable to fix the hole. Sure, Wilson had the upper hand of playing with the team a season before, but he did not have the job locked down by any stretch. Jenkins was brought in with the hopes that he could unseat Wilson for the job.
Still, in the first preseason game, it was Wilson lined up with the second unit and Jenkins on the third. On top of that, Wilson had a solid game and made a few big tackles. Jenkins was in on some run defense plays and was credited with a tackle. Still, the early lead goes to Wilson and it could be argued that he started to pull away on Thursday night.
Next: Christian Jones Stock Watch
If Jenkins does not beat out Wilson for the backup nose tackle spot, he is likely to be cut. There are still three weeks to go, but the early indication is that Jenkins will have to play for his roster life if he wants a shot at making the team at this point. Not a good place to be.