Chicago Bears News: Does moving Teven Jenkins again speak to lack of trust?

Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
facebooktwitterreddit

One of the bigger questions when the Chicago Bears signed Nate Davis from the Tennessee Titans in free agency was where he would play. The thought was that the Bears had a hole at left guard, and they signed Nate Davis who was a right guard.

Chicago Bears plan to move Teven Jenkins to left guard

So, they were either moving the free agent they just signed to a different side, or Teven Jenkins, who just locked down the right guard spot would now be on the move. While we know that things can change quickly after OTAs, the first report from the team gathering is that Jenkins will handle the left side, and Nate Davis will play the right side.

This may have been the expected outcome, but it is hard to see it without thinking about how it speaks to the lack of trust this team has in Teven Jenkins. This goes back to the idea that Jenkins was not someone that Ryan Poles drafted, and it is someone that the Chiefs did not draft back in 2021.

Then, the team tried to replace him at every stop. He got work at right tackle, but they had Braxton Jones and Larry Borom over there as well. When Jones took over on the left side it was time to sign Riley Reiff.

When the Chicago Bears moved Teven Jenkins to right guard, they had him split snaps with Lucas Patrick. Lucas Patrick was playing out of position and had a broken thumb, but they did not want to give the job to Jenkins full-time. He eventually settled in there, but as we know it will not be for long.

They are once again moving him to the left side. So, he enters his third season and he hardly has found a home, and it seems like any time he does get one, the General Manager is looking to add in that area. He will be on his rookie contract for this year, and next year, so it is hard to see the Bears going all out to move him.

Beyond that, the team reportedly was in on left guard Ben Powers before they made the move for Nate Davis. They were just outbid. If the Bears added Powers, would we even be questioning this?

5 things we learned about Ryan Poles on draft weekend. dark. Next

Still, they did not add Powers, and if Jenkins struggles even a little, one option the team has is to move Cody Whitehair back to left guard and play Lucas Patrick at center. We know very well that this is on the table. If that is the case, do they trade Teven Jenkins this off-season? Do they see what they have at left guard, then move him in training camp? What is the price tag for him at this point?