After being drafted by the Chicago Bears at No. 39 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, Teven Jenkins was slated to be the bodyguard of Justin Fields for years and years.
That said, on Day 2 of the Chicago Bears training camp, Teven Jenkins is absent, and speculation is starting to boil over.
Teven Jenkins rotated sides as an extra lineman during team period.
— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) July 27, 2022
After practicing with the backups yesterday, it was somewhat promising that Jenkins would be healthy enough to start and finish an entire Bears training camp. However, that’s already scrapped after a single day.
What do the Chicago Bears do with the Teven Jenkins issue?
The fact that Jenkins is beginning his second season with the Chicago Bears and he’s still seemingly facing health issues is worrisome. Acquiring Jenkins cost the Bears multiple draft picks, and if he continues to miss important time with the team, it’s not likely that he will pan out to be the lineman many were hoping he was.
That said, Larry Borom– a tackle selected in the fifth round from Mizzou in the 2021 NFL Draft– has been picking up the slack from Jenkins.
The second-year tackle was getting first-team reps at RT in OTAs, while Jenkins was with the second-team. So, while Jenkins’ clock is ticking, Borom is taking advantage of the opportunity presented to him.
As of right now, Riley Reiff is likely to be the starting left tackle, and the right tackle position has been a battle between Larry Borom and rookie Braxton Jones.
It will be a hard pill to swallow if Jenkins cannot leave the stage of “lingering injury,” as it was apparently known that Jenkins had back issues during the draft process.
So, to still draft Jenkins knowing his back was as big of an issue as it raises more red flags for people who are no longer with the organization, so there’s no use dwelling on it. Now, it’s Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus’ job to evaluate what to do with Teven Jenkins as time’s ticking for the No. 39 overall selection.