NEWSLETTER
Chicago Bears fans are excited going into the season-opener against the Tennessee Titans. And even though the injury report often brings us back to earth, the first release was surprisingly encouraging. One notable name *NOT* on the injury report was Teven Jenkins, the left guard who is trying to shake the injury-prone label as he enters Year 4 of his pro career.
While speaking to reporters at his locker at Halas Hall on Wednesday, Jenkins shared this wonderful update (h/t Zack Pearson) regarding his health status going into Week 1: “I’m feeling good. This is probably the healthiest I’ve been going into Week 1. I’m excited about it.”
If Teven Jenkins is excited about it, then I am also excited about it. And if I am excited about it, then I imagine that Bears fans are geeked up about it, too.
I am pretty much at a point where I am willing to do whatever it takes for us to get a healthy Teven Jenkins in 2024. He is that important to the Bears’ offensive line and the offense. And to show you how serious I am, I’ve brought back the Twitter prayer circle in hopes that it will work its magic again:
A healthy Teven Jenkins is ready to roll
An update from a player sharing that they are fully healthy entering a given season isn’t generally newsworthy. But Teven Jenkins isn’t just any player. And his health status being in good standing isn’t something we’re accustomed to this time of year.
Jenkins began his rookie season in 2021 on injured reserve after having back surgery. Two years later, Jenkins was on IR when Week 1 of the 2023 season kicked off because of a leg injury. For what it’s worth, Jenkins was in the starting lineup in 2022 when the Bears beat the Niners in Week 1. However, he played just 53 percent of the team’s offensive snaps and didn’t get a full share of the offensive workload until Week 5. It’s been quite the climb for Jenkins to make it to Year 4, and I’m hoping this is his best year yet.
When healthy, Teven Jenkins is one of the best interior offensive linemen. Jenkins earned an 80.7 overall grade from Pro Football Focus in 2022. It was good enough to be the third-best among offensive guards that season. Not bad for a player who began the calendar year as a left tackle, slid over to right tackle during the offseason training program, was bumped down to backup status, and then moved into a guard spot — all before Preseason Week 1 kicked off.
MORE: I Have a Good Feeling About Teven Jenkins
A year later, Jenkins put up a 72.6 grade. While technically a step back, Jenkins still played well enough to be in good standing in terms of PFF grading. Teven Jenkins finished the 2023 season ranking 14th among the 79 guards who played enough snaps to qualify for the leaderboard. You’ve gotta be doing something right if you’re grading out ahead of offensive line studs such as Quenton Nelson (16th), Zack Martin (18th), and Elgton Jenkins (27th).
Unfortunately, injuries have kept Jenkins from realizing his full potential. But perhaps this year will be different. Maybe this is the year that a fully healthy Teven Jenkins pulls it all together and showcases his skills. If that is how it plays out, then it will be quite the stroke of good fortune for Jenkins, whose contract expires at the end of the 2024 season.
Teven Jenkins is set to become a free agent after this year. After seeing fellow second-round offensive lineman from the NFL’s 2021 draft class Sam Cosmi get paid, I can imagine Jenkins wants that kind of deal for himself. Cosmi signed what is reported to be a four-year $74 million extension, per ESPN’s reporting. League insider Adam Schefter shares that the deal includes $45 million in guarantees. So if you were wondering about the parameters of a future Jenkins extension, I feel as if Cosmi’s deal gives us numbers to be aware of if (when) discussions for an extension for Chicago’s starting left guard pick up.
Of course, Teven Jenkins needs to prove that he can be healthy before we do a deep dive into those waters. With that being said, having a clean bill of health entering Week 1 is a good start.
