Could Chicago Bears still trade Teven Jenkins?

Many believe that the Chicago Bears finally have their offensive line in order. It took Ryan Poles two offseasons, but he finally has depth and starters in each place. While there does not appear to be a thought of shaking things up between now and training camp, Poles has always been firm to state that competition will dictate how the line forms.

Could Chicago Bears still trade Teven Jenkins?

With that in mind, is it possible that there is a shakeup before the start of the season? If there were to be a player who ends up being in the shakeup, it probably is Teven Jenkins. If anything is for sure from the past year or so, it is that the fans like Teven Jenkins more than the coaching staff and front office.

Teven Jenkins was a second round pick that many saw going in round one. However, injuries were the question and he missed most of his rookie season with a back issue. Entering year two, he lost a lot of his tractiion in the buildin when Ryan Poles stepped in as GM over Ryan Pace.

Pace drafted Jenkins, but Poles was on the Chiefs who passed on Jenkins. Jenkins has been given chances, but never seems to win over Poles or offensive line coach Chris Morgan. He lost the starting left tackle job to someone those two handpicked in Braxton Jones.

They moved him to right tackle but then felt better about adding Riley Reiff. Even when they moved him to right guard, they had him rotate with Lucas Patrick and Patrick did not even have a functioning thumb. It took Patrick being miserable at the spot for them to actually let Teven Jenkins start and finish a game at the third position they tried him at.

Again, fans thought he did fine, but it is clear that the GM thought differently. He signed Nate Davis, a right guard to legitimate money, guaranteeing that he would start. So, Teven Jenkins is now onto position four in the last 365 days. Even when he does well, it appears the team is still ready to move on, so there is little hope for him sticking around.

The Chicago Bears obviously know he is not in their long-term plans, and it may even be that they do not think he fits the culture. So, if the team is going to trade any lineman before the season, it is him.

We know that Cody Whitehair is shifting to center, but we also know that he is competing with Lucas Patrick for the role. We also know that the team liked Patrick more than Jenkins last season, and even wanted to start Patrick out of place, at guard, over Jenkins. We also know that Whitehair started at left guard last season, and the team may see him as a better option at left guard than Jenkins.

So, if Lucas Patrick plays well and has a shot to start at center, it could be as simple as pushing Cody Whitehair to left guard, his natural spot, and then Teven Jenkins will not have a role. If the team thinks that Jenkins will sit on the bench, they may sniff around for a trade. He has two years left on his contract, so they may be able to get something this year. If they feel he is going to struggle or lose his job, it would be better to trade him now than to wait until he has one year left on his deal and was benched.

The Chicago Bears are unlikely to make any big splashes before the start of the season, but one name that quietly could be getting shopped is guard Teven Jenkins.