Chicago Bears: What does back surgery mean for Teven Jenkins?

If you have not heard yet, Teven Jenkins might not play this season. Right now, the Chicago Bears are hopeful to see Jenkins return before the season is over, but if I am being honest, I doubt that he returns this year unless the Bears make the playoffs. This is also why the team signed Jason Peters on Saturday.

Let me start by stating, I am by no means a medical expert. The closest I have come to perform a medical procedure is putting bandages on my children or using a needle and tweezers to remove splinters from their hands and/or feet. The most education I have in the medical field is studying health and anatomy in school.

Chicago Bears second-round offensive tackle, Teven Jenkins needs back surgery

With reports out that Teven Jenkins is going to need back surgery due to a lumbar strain, the only thing I can use to relate to this situation is an abdominal surgery I had back in June that required me to go through a recovery period of six weeks plus at-home rehabilitation that is still ongoing.

Many fans are going to grab their pitchforks and start screaming absurdities at Ryan Pace or at least call for him to be fired as keyboard warriors online. In this situation, they might be right, but we will have to give it more time. This is not a Kevin White situation and let us hope that this is nothing similar to a Chris Williams situation even though both are dealing with back issues. Williams had a herniated disc that had to be repaired and never lived up to expectations.

As someone who was admittedly very high on Teven Jenkins (many analysts had him with first or second-round grades), I am disappointed in myself for not calling attention to these red flags. In my defense, I did not have access to Jenkins’ medicals in a way the Chicago Bears did, but for now, I am remaining hopeful that this back situation does not extend beyond 2021 and Teven Jenkins finishes his career as a legitimate starting offensive tackle for the Bears.