NEWSLETTER
The Chicago Bears added depth along the team’s defensive line by bringing back a player who is familiar with Vic Fangio’s scheme:
https://twitter.com/ChicagoBears/status/982693341426016256
John Jenkins re-signed with the Bears on a one-year deal. He becomes the seventh free agent on the defensive side of the ball to re-sign with the team this offseason. This is technically Jenkins’ third contract with the team. He signed as a free agent in March 2017, didn’t make the cut coming out of preseason, but latched back on with the team right before Week 1. Jenkins is one of six defensive lineman on the roster, joining Eddie Goldman, Rashaad Coward, Akiem Hicks, Jonathan Bullard, and Roy Robertson-Harris.
Jenkins played just 109 snaps in eight games last season. He earned a respectable 75.4 grade from Pro Football Focus from the eight games he played. Jenkins made one start at nose tackle when the team’s regular starter, Eddie Goldman, was inactive in the team’s Week 14 win against the Cincinnati Bengals because of a hip injury. When Goldman was down, Jenkins and undrafted free agent rookie Rashaad Coward were the only nose tackles on the roster.
Jenkins was a third-round pick by the New Orleans in 2013, where he first crossed paths with Bears GM Ryan Pace when he was the Saints’ Director of Player Personnel. He played 49 games in four years in New Orleans and split the 2016 season between the Saints and Seahawks. Jenkins brings size and experience to a position that didn’t have much depth in 2017. That could always prove to be important. Remember, Goldman finished each of his first two seasons on injured reserve.
