Teven Jenkins struggles in Chicago Bears debut

We did not know the how or the why, but before the end of the season, Chicago Bears fans expected to see rookie Teven Jenkins at some point. Whether it was injury, benching, or even a Jenkins promotion, the second-round pick with a first-round grade was going to see the field at some point.

Matt Nagy was adamant that Chicago would not force him into the lineup but admitted having Jenkins as a depth lineman is a nice addition to have. Unfortunately, an injury to Jason Peters did force Jenkins in the lineup.

Obviously, no one wants to see Peters banged up, but it did give Bears fans a glimpse into the future. Unfortunately, Teven Jenkins was thrown in and did not hit the ground running.  Rather, he showed a few rookie flaws.

Early into the game, he was hit with a bad false start. It progressively got worse as he was then hit with two holding penalties. The first one was the worst. Jenkins had a chip block from Jimmy Graham to help him out.

Still, Preston Smith was able to push right back and swim free for a strip-sack that rendered the penalty meaningless.

This is not surprising in many ways. The Chicago Bears did not want to force Jenkins into the lineup, mainly because they were not sure if he was ready. Veterans can jump back in during the season, but Jenkins is a rookie with no training camp and no preseason.

It was fortunate he was able to be active for one game without starting to ease some of the nerves and check off a few firsts. Still, on the road, in a loud hostile environment in the middle of the game is not the perfect time for a rookie to get thrown into action.

Jenkins will be fine long-term and fans should not worry. However, that was not the start to the career that he, or anyone from the Chicago Bears wanted.