Bears' $8 Million Star Battles Another Injury Setback at Training Camp
In their quest for an offensive breakthrough this season, the Chicago Bears are banking on a sturdy, healthy core unit. However, during their training session on August 2, they were dealt a significant setback.
CHGO Sports' Adam Hoge reported that Teven Jenkins, the team's starting left guard, had to bow out of the Wednesday training camp session due to an unidentified injury concern. "Teven Jenkins leaving the practice field with a trainer," Hoge shared on Twitter late Wednesday morning.
Despite only two years of NFL experience under his belt, Jenkins, a rising star in the Bears' roster, has already accumulated a noteworthy list of injuries during his short professional career.
The young offensive lineman's rookie season in 2021 was cut short as he sat out all but six games due to back surgery. Then, in 2022, a variety of injuries saw him miss another four matches. Out of a possible 34 regular season games since he started his NFL journey, Jenkins has featured in just 19 and has only 13 starts to his name.
Jenkins was absent for one game in the 2022 season due to a hip problem and was noticed limping following the Bears' narrow defeat to the Detroit Lions in Week 10. His most alarming incident of the year happened in mid-December during a clash with the Philadelphia Eagles, where a neck injury saw him stretchered off the field by the Bears' medical team.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the seriousness of Jenkins' latest injury, sustained during practice, remained undisclosed. But the good news is that he managed to leave the field unaided, offering some relief considering his past health scares on the football field.
The Bears shifted Jenkins to the left guard position this summer, following their revamping of the offensive line's right flank by picking Darnell Wright, the rookie right tackle from the University of Tennessee, at No. 10 overall, and getting Nate Davis on board as the right guard via free agency. However, Davis himself has been absent from the recent training sessions due to his own injury woes.
Jenkins is set to partner with second-year left tackle Braxton Jones to safeguard quarterback Justin Fields' blindside in the coming season, provided that injuries to players like Davis don't necessitate Jenkins playing elsewhere. Earlier in May, Jenkins revealed his ambition to be a "dominant force" in protecting his quarterback.
Jenkins shared with ESPN 1000's Bears Weekly Podcast, "For me, ultimately, I like to think of it as my prove-it year, and I would assume everybody around me would think the same.» He added, «Last year, I felt like I gave up too many pressures, even too many sacks. My goal for this year is always going to be zero sacks for myself and the O-line."
Any significant absence of Jenkins could seriously hamper the Bears' aspirations for the upcoming season. The left guard is currently in the third year of his four-year, $8.4 million rookie contract, having been picked at No. 39 overall in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
After a turbulent first year and a period of uncertainty with the new management of GM Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus last offseason, Jenkins found his rhythm in 2022. With most of his playtime on the right side of the line, Jenkins achieved a Pro Football Focus (PFF) player grade of 80.7, ranking him as the third-best offensive guard in the NFL last season among 77 players with enough snaps at the position. He excelled particularly against the run, earning an 82.2 grade from PFF in that category.
| POLL | ||
3 AOUT | 76 ANSWERS Bears' $8 Million Star Battles Another Injury Setback at Training Camp Will Teven Jenkins be a starter this season? | ||
| Yes | 53 | 69.7 % |
| No | 23 | 30.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
