Teven Jenkins may have been out with an injury, or he may have had an issue with how he was being treated by the front office and the coaching staff, and it may very well be the latter.
Teven Jenkins should be the starting right guard for the Chicago Bears headed into the week-1 matchup versus the San Francisco 49ers. But Jenkins likely won’t remain the starter with center Lucas Patrick returning from his injury and being a key free agent addition to the Bears’ offensive line.
The Bears will look at Lucas Patrick at both center and guard this week as they determine which combination of players they like best for their starting offensive line.
— Alex Shapiro (@AlexShapiroNBCS) September 5, 2022
Patrick is going to start somewhere, the question is where? If his hand isn’t ready for the demands of snapping the football, then he may very well wind up shifting to the starting right guard, which means Jenkins is immediately the odd man out.
So you can imagine how Teven Jenkins must feel given these ever-changing circumstances that never really changed at all. Nor did these circumstances see Jenkins get a fair chance to compete for a starting offensive line spot throughout training camp.
The Bears’ starting offensive line from the beginning of OTAs was left tackle Braxton Jones, left guard Cody Whitehair, center Lucas Patrick, right guard Sam Mustipher, and right tackle Larry Borom. That’s the same exact offensive line the Bears are most likely to start with in week 1 against the 49ers.
Teven Jenkins was asked to move from left tackle to right tackle and he never really got a fair shot against Larry Borom who has been arguably the worst pass blocker on the roster throughout the preseason. Jenkins’ next best shot seemed to be as the swing tackle between left and right. That competition never materialized either.
Lastly, Jenkins was given “the chance to compete for the right guard spot” a competition he won going away and is now likely to have lost. Jenkins looks like a dominant starting right guard of the future, but it’s almost clear that the Bears are putting Mustipher or Patrick into that spot.
Ryan Poles actions speak louder than his media platitudes
Ryan Poles then goes out and claims Alex Leatherwood off of waivers to come in and compete for the swing tackle spot between Jenkins and Borom, with Jenkins being the odd man out there as well.
So where would you be at mentally if you were told to shift to two new positions, and you’re arguably the best player at those two positions but are most likely to be benched after busting your ass to win a starting spot? If I’m Teven Jenkins I’m wanting out of Chicago and to get a fresh start with a team that’s actually going to treat me fairly.
Teven Jenkins has not gotten a fair shake with the Chicago Bears. Instead, he’s been strung along, been the subject of trade rumors that won’t die, and is now being shown that other players are more highly regarded at the positions he competed at and won the right to start at, but will likely wind up further down the depth chart, after all, is said and done.
The only logical conclusion to this is for the Bears to treat Jenkins fairly and trade him and get whatever they can get for him in the trade market. Jenkins has earned the right to be a starter in the NFL ahead of both Borom and Mustipher. Jenkins has earned the right to be the front runner as a swing tackle ahead of Alex Leatherwood, but Ryan Poles obviously feels differently, judging by his actions.
Poles has made it clear he has no place for Jenkins on the Chicago Bears’ roster going forward and it’s up to Poles to give Jenkins a fair chance with another team. Ryan Poles needs to drop the charade and move on from Teven Jenkins, because it’s obvious he doesn’t want him in Chicago.
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