The Chicago Bears must build around these eight players in 2022

Chicago Bears Player to Build Around No. 3: Tevin Jenkins

This one might seem strange, but when the team traded up to draft Tevin Jenkins in the second round, it instantly made him an important factor for this team. The offensive line has struggled mightily over the last few years and Ryan Pace finally invested a solid draft pick on a tackle. The key here is, will Jenkins be able to handle the left side of the line?

When he was drafted, I thought for sure he was brought in to be the starting right tackle. He played there more than the left side in college. Not only did he play there, he actually dominated there throughout most of his collegiate career. Not knowing about the back injury he was dealing with, I had Jenkins graded as a low-end first-round draft pick.

The good news is that the Chicago Bears are getting Teven Jenkins back soon. He returned to practice this week and the Bears have 21 days to activate him from injured reserve. The chances of him being ready to play by Sunday is not going to happen, nor should he, but getting him back out there and gaining reps is important.

The team has seen enough injuries ruin the careers of previous offensive linemen they invested high draft picks on. Rushing Jenkins back too soon is not worth it. Playing him out of position at guard is not worth it either. The Chicago Bears need to play this smart. Once they are no longer in a position to make the playoffs and Jenkins is for sure 100% healthy, then and only then they should play him over Jason Peters. Additionally, hopefully, they can determine if he should continue at LT or move to RT.