When Teven Jenkins began the year off the grid after undergoing back surgery in August, it was fair to assume he would be out for a while. In fact, there was a general belief that we might not see Jenkins at all during his rookie season. After all, back injuries are serious, tough to deal with, and impossible to predict.
But the Bears kept a sliver of hope for an in-season return. And recently, things have been trending in the right direction for such an occasion. Between Jason Peters offering up positive progress reports, video surfacing of Jenkins being spotted in the wild at practice, and visuals of Jenkins running springs on a hill during practice, there is growing evidence that the arrow is pointing up when it comes to the rookie’s (relatively) immediate future.
So, why not add some more fuel to the fires of optimism:
#Bears rookie OL Teven Jenkins doing some stretching on the field under the watch of strength coach Jason Loscalzo. Have to imagine there is a chance, maybe a good one, the 21-day practice window for evaluation with him on the PUP list begins before the Baltimore game.
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) November 8, 2021
Here’s Bears rookie offensive tackle Teven Jenkins working out.
He’s in the middle of a long rehab following back surgery. pic.twitter.com/tJgnPjrpUv
— Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) November 8, 2021
Teven Jenkins’ workout continues … pic.twitter.com/h2NBeVh2IW
— Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) November 8, 2021
Kudos to Brad Biggs (Tribune) and Adam Jahns (The Athletic) for having an eagle eye. Both spotted the Bears’ second-round pick stretching and working out ahead of tonight’s game against the Steelers. Jahns even went as far as to share videos. It’s not much, but it’s more than nothing.
Jenkins working out at any point this year would be a win, so video evidence of him working out is a notable step for a player who had back surgery 82 days ago. We should keep perspective, yes, but all positive vibes on the injury front are welcome. Especially when they involve a potential building block offensive lineman.
The only thing possibly more significant than visual proof of Jenkins workout is Biggs’ hinting of what it could mean. That Chicago could open up a 21-day observation window to evaluate Jenkins for a possible return this year feels like a big deal, too. Not to put the cart ahead of the horse, but getting Jenkins in a practice setting — perhaps with the intent to get him on the field in 2021 — would be huge. Keep in mind that we’ve already seen Danny Trevathan, Larry Borom, and David Montgomery (tonight!) return from IR. So why not see if we can add another to the list. It would be quite the testament to Jenkins to see him work his way into game reps this year.
Heck, that we’re discussing this possibility with Jenkins is a wonderful sign on its own. This moment felt like a long shot possibility months ago. So it’s pretty neat that the arrow is pointing up with this situation.
An offensive line that has spent time this year looking like it was being held together by twigs and chewing gum could be getting reinforcements. Let’s keep our eyes open for further developments.