People weren’t sure what to feel about Teven Jenkins at guard last month. He’d never played the position before, having spent his entire college career at tackle. The new Chicago Bears coaching staff didn’t like him on the edges. It looked for a second like he might get traded. Then they decided to try something else. They moved him inside. In the final two preseason games, Jenkins flashed enough to get the nod as their starting right guard.
Those flashes continued against San Francisco in the opener. He held up well in pass protection and was especially nasty in the running game. The 49ers didn’t like him very much in the second half. Maybe that was a fluke. Jenkins probably just took advantage of sloppy conditions to frustrate the 49ers. Then the Green Bay game happened. While many things were wrong with the Bears’ offense on Sunday night, Jenkins wasn’t one of them.
He allowed only one pressure on the quarterback, but his run blocking again stood out the most. Jenkins straight abused guys and was a primary component to Chicago racking up 180 yards on the ground.
Jenkins swallowing defenders in the run game pic.twitter.com/ys03CRMFGU
— Brandon Thorn (@BrandonThornNFL) September 19, 2022
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Teven Jenkins is only going to get better.
That is the scariest part of this. He’s played two actual games so far at right guard. If he’s already dominating guys like Dean Lowry, then there is no telling how much better he’ll get. The most frustrating part is the stubborn refusal by the Bears coaching staff to leave him on the field. Twice now, they’ve elected to rotate him with Lucas Patrick during games. While Patrick is a good player, he’s operating with one good hand. He isn’t at 100%. That was evident on Sunday night. It wasn’t a coincidence the run game slowed down whenever he was on the field.
It is time for the Bears to stop keeping Teven Jenkins on a leash. Let him stay in the game and wear people out. He is the tone-setter they need up front. Patrick will be back at center not too long from now. Then the offensive line will finally be at full strength. That may end up becoming a fearsome group. Either way, this development is what the Bears needed. Jenkins morphing into a capable starter makes life so much easier for their entire plan up front.
