NEWSLETTER
NFL Network analyst and former NFL quarterback David Carr was tasked with picking his NFC and AFC representatives for this year’s Pro Bowl Game on Wednesday. And to my surprise, his list includes not one, but TWO Bears offensive players.
Seeing Justin Fields as one of Carr’s three choices for the NFC representatives for quarterbacks isn’t all that surprising, but the other name is. No, it’s not Khalil Herbert — who if not for his injury might have had a pretty strong case himself — it’s none other than offensive lineman Teven Jenkins!
Despite my excitement of seeing a Bears quarterback mentioned as a Pro Bowler … we have to admit that Fields’ resume seems a little light. That said, he has been a highlight machine this season.
While he might not be everyone’s pick for starter honors, he seems like a shoo-in for the reserve role — which would kick in if one of the three selected quarterbacks makes it to the Super Bowl or withdraws from the event due to injury.
Fields enters Week 15 with 2,801 total yards and 21 touchdowns, which is good, but I’m not sure if it’s Pro Bowl worthy yet. The other two quarterbacks that Carr named from the NFC were Jaylen Hurts, whom we’ll see this Sunday, and Jared Goff, both of whom are having very good seasons.
Still, I’ll take the recognition for QB1. It’s nice to see some national guys giving Fields the type of love he deserves for his impressive sophomore season in the NFL.
But where Carr really threw me for a loop was on the offensive line, where Teven Jenkins gets named as one of his three guards for the NFC team (along with Philadelphia’s Isaac Seumalo and Atlanta’s Chris Lindstrom).
Jenkins has had a nice season, but is he deserving of that type of recognition? According to PFF, Jenkins’ 80.1 blocking grade ranks third in the NFL and while his 65.9 pass block grade leaves some to be desired, there’s no question that his 81.5 (5th on PFF) run block grade is sensational, and that jives with the film.
Plus, if anyone knows what a good offensive lineman does and doesn’t look like, it’s David Carr, who was sacked 76 times in his rookie season in 2002 and 267 times in a decade in the NFL.
But hey, whether it shakes out that way or not, it’s still pretty cool seeing Jenkins go from trade/cut candidate in training camp to potential Pro Bowler in a span of four-ish months.
