NEWSLETTER
The last time we saw Justin Fields and Teven Jenkins on the same field at the same time, it was in that Monday Night Football game against the Vikings in which Jenkins – a rookie tackle – famously took an unnecessary roughness penalty while sticking up for his fellow rookie.
Perhaps the next time we’ll see these two on the field will be this coming Sunday.
Bears Head Coach Matt Nagy told reporters that Fields and Jenkins will participate in some capacity during the team’s first practice ahead of Sunday’s game against the Giants. With the Bears being in the waning moments of what is otherwise a lost season, it would be swell to get two young players on the right developmental track and ending the year on a high note.
Fields didn’t play in the Bears’ win against the Seahawks due to an ankle injury that reportedly had him in a walking boot last week. It sounds as if health will be the primary factor in which QB plays on Sunday. Andy Dalton is expected to join Fields in practicing, too. That means Chicago is set to potentially split reps three ways during the build-up during practice week with Nick Foles being the only quarterback not on the injury report. But at the end of the day, the vibe is that the healthiest quarterback will start on Sunday. And if it turns out to be Fields, the hope would be that he can finish the game (1) healthy and (2) with a strong showing against a team that is as down in the dumps as the Bears.
Meanwhile, Jenkins did suit up to start at left tackle in last week’s game, but didn’t finish because of a shoulder injury. Jenkins was on the field for just three snaps in Week 16, so hearing that he’ll be practicing is a step in the right direction for a rookie who is still trying to get his bearings as a professional offensive lineman. What bearing Jenkins’ return has on the rest of the line remains to be seen. Fellow rookie tackle Larry Borom, who was displaced as the starting right tackle by Germain Ifedi, held it down on the blind side in a pinch. Ideally, both rookie tackles would get significant reps on game day. But we know better than to expect ideal situations to play out. So stay tuned.
For more from Nagy’s press conference, check out the video below:
Coach Nagy is meeting with the media.@Hyundai | #DaBears https://t.co/TcqgsjHwbE
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) December 29, 2021
