Chicago Bears: 7 things to do with the draft class over the final five games

The Chicago Bears must Play Teven Jenkins

The morning before the Week 13 matchup with the Arizona Cardinals, the Bears activated rookie second-round draft pick, Teven Jenkins, from IR.

About an hour before kickoff, Jenkins took some reps at left tackle and rotated with Jason Peters with the first-team offensive line during warmups. At the end of the 33-22 loss to the Cardinals, Jenkins finished with two snaps on special teams.

Peters has filled in admirably this season, but now that Jenkins is finally healthy, it’s time for him to take over as the starting left tackle. Prior to Sunday, Jenkins last played in a game on Nov. 2, 2020, against Oklahoma. He battled through a right hip injury during his senior season and that contributed to him opting out after the first seven games.

In Nagy’s postgame press conference, he said Jenkins “most likely” will stay as a backup this season, but he did slightly backtrack on that statement.

“For him, just getting him into the groove, just getting him up active is good,” Nagy said. “J.P.’s been doing a good job there at left tackle. I love Teven’s attitude. We’ll just kind of take it day-by-day and see. But in the end, I know we’ll make the best decision for him and us.”

Despite Peters “doing a good job,” he’s still 39 years old and will likely be gone after this season. The Bears moved up 13 spots to select Jenkins and did so with intentions that he would be a building block on the offensive line for years to come.

This should be a no-brainer. Play Jenkins.