Following the loss to Tampa Bay, Chicago Bears left tackle Jason Peters revealed that 5th round rookie Larry Borom was likely to return to practice that week. He even indicated that 2nd round pick Teven Jenkins was a couple of weeks behind him. That offered optimism that the big tackle from Oklahoma State might indeed be able to return to action before the 2021 season came to a conclusion. Something that wasn’t certain two months ago.
Jenkins’ season was derailed from the outset by a back injury that refused to settle down during training camp. After consulting with doctors, the rookie chose to have surgery to get the problem fixed. All reports indicate the procedure was a total success. From that point, it became a matter of how well the rehab process would go. Based on the latest evidence provided by Nicholas Moreano, it appears things are going well.
Teven Jenkins is back on the hill doing some sprints. pic.twitter.com/Ro4Y3F9aFB
— Nicholas Moreano (@NicholasMoreano) November 5, 2021
That is plenty encouraging.
If Jenkins is doing hill sprints now, it suggests his back is reaching a point where he should be able to return to practice in the near future. That is not to say he’ll be cleared for full contact right away, but being able to go through drills with teammates would help. Offensive line coach Juan Castillo has drilled him hard with tape evaluation assignments every week in order to keep him focused.
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Given how things are playing out, it now feels possible that Teven Jenkins could be back in action before the end of the month. It all comes down to how he feels. The initial timeline said around the end of November was the typical window unless there were complications. If this is true, the Bears may have a chance to get a solid look at the talented rookie they traded up to get last April. If he shows something during that time, they may have some critical clarification on how the 2022 offseason could unfold.
