One area of the Chicago Bears roster that is surrounded by questions going into the 2024 season is their interior offensive line. They still don’t have a definitive starting center. Right guard Nate Davis missed tons of practice and playing time last year due to injuries and off-the-field issues. As for left guard Teven Jenkins, his continued injury problems robbed him of any chance of securing a long-term contract extension before the start of this season. The Bears clearly aren’t prepared to offer big money to somebody they can’t yet trust.
This leaves Jenkins’ fate up in the air. Most believe the former 2nd round pick has been their best offensive lineman when on the field. However, one person isn’t surprised by how things have progressed to this point. Former Bears scouting director Greg Gabriel explained on Windy City Gridiron that Jenkins’ 2024 season won’t just be about his ability to stay healthy. He must also prove that his pass-blocking prowess can reach the same level of effectiveness as his run-blocking, which many don’t talk about.
This year is a contract year for Jenkins, and he has already approached the Bears brass about doing an extension. There is no way that Ryan Poles and Company can even think about extending Jenkins until he can prove he can stay healthy.
Not only does Teven have to stay healthy but he has to pass block as well or close to as well as he run blocks. If that doesn’t happen, this could very well be the last year we see Jenkins as a member of the Chicago Bears.
I am not disputing Jenkins’ talent, but the Bears front office cannot extend a player who misses as much game time as Teven does. Even if he stays healthy this season, there is still a question whether Poles will want to extend him. When we look at the amount of money that some guards got in free agency this spring, the Bears may be better off going in another direction.
He played 397 pass-blocking snaps last season, allowing 17 pressures on the quarterback. For context, Miami guard Robert Hunt just signed a lucrative free agent contract with Carolina. He played 376 snaps and allowed five pressures. Chris Lindstrom from Atlanta played 606 snaps and allowed 15. What Gabriel says is correct. Jenkins’ work in pass protection can best be called average at this point. Protecting Caleb Williams is paramount for the Bears. If they sense Jenkins can’t accomplish that goal, they will find somebody who can.
The good news is this will likely be the first year of his career where he stops switching positions. Don’t forget Teven Jenkins has played three different spots since arriving in 2021. It was left tackle as a rookie. Then it was right guard in 2022 and a mixture of right and left guard in 2023. That makes it difficult to find consistency as a player. The Bears now have enough depth to where Jenkins should play the entire season exclusively at left guard. It should help with his consistency. If he can stay healthy, there is no reason to think 2024 won’t be an improvement. He certainly has the motivation to perform well.
