Bears’ Young Starter Confirms Position Change for 2023

Getty Justin Fields #1 of the Chicago Bears looks on under center against the Houston Texans during the first quarter at Soldier Field on September 25, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Teven Jenkins will be playing another new position for the Chicago Bears’ offensive line during his third NFL season in 2023.

On Sunday, Jenkins confirmed that he would be moving from right guard to left guard for the Bears in 2023, retweeting a previous report — from Bleacher Report’s Bryson Stricker back in March — in response to a fan’s question about what position he would be playing during his third season in Chicago.

“Per a source, Bears OL Teven Jenkins will be moving to LG next season for Chicago,” Stricker tweeted on March 13. “This move comes after the Bears have acquired G Nate Davis [in free agency].”

Jenkins switching to a new position isn’t too surprising given the Bears signed Davis to a three-year, $30 million contract in free agency, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The 26-year-old started 54 games at right guard for the Tennessee Titans over the past four seasons, but there had been some speculation that he would play left guard in Chicago considering he is more experienced than Jenkins. Now, there is a little more clarity on the alignment.

Bears Still Have Unanswered Questions on 2023 OL

Jenkins confirming his move to left guard helps paint a clearer picture of how Chicago’s offensive line will look in 2023, but there are still a few important questions to answer between now and September’s first game of the new season.

While Jenkins moving to the left and Davis stepping in on the right helps the Bears take a significant step toward fortifying the interior of their offensive line, the center spot is still an unknown at this point. The Bears have hinted at potentially moving veteran Cody Whitehair back to his original position of center, but they could save as much as $9.9 million (according to Over the Cap) if they released him this offseason. The Bears could then either promote one of the two centers waiting in the wings — Lucas Patrick or 2022 sixth-rounder Doug Kramer — or draft a new one in April to take over.

The bigger mystery, though, is what the Bears are going to do at their tackle spots. They have All-Rookie selection Braxton Jones returning to presumably fill one of the starting roles, but it remains to be seen whether he will play on the left again or move to the right in 2023. Part of that depends on which player the Bears add in the draft. They could potentially get one of the top left tackles in the class with the No. 9 overall pick, such as Ohio State’s Paris Johnson or Northwestern’s Peter Skoronski, and move Jones over to the right side; however, if they draft someone better suited for the right side, Jones could keep his job protecting quarterback Justin Fields’ blindside.

Bears Will Have Post-Draft Options in Free Agency

The Bears are largely expected to patch some of the holes in their offensive line in the 2023 NFL draft later this month, but they will still have options in free agency in the event that the selection process doesn’t go exactly how they want.

In terms of tackles, Donovan Young (124 starts) and Isaiah Wynn (40 starts) are both still on the market after the first few waves of free agency and could offer the Bears some veteran experience if they are unable to secure a Day 1 rookie starter. There is also former Tennessee Titans franchise stalwart Taylor Lewan, who has started 101 games and is a three-time Pro Bowler but has also been injury prone in recent seasons.

Technically, the Bears could still sign any one of the three even if they do draft a top rookie, as they need veteran experience for the group with Alex Leatherwood and Larry Borom currently their most experience depth pieces. The need to get one of the best remaining free agents becomes more desperate, though, if they are unable to secure an NFL-ready guy in the draft.

The Bears could also explore signing one of the top remaining centers on the market, namely Connor McGovern. The soon-to-be-30-year-old has started 84 games over his first six seasons, splitting his time between the Denver Broncos and New York Jets. If Chicago decides Whitehair needs to go and doesn’t get a clear replacement for him in the draft, McGovern could be a quality bridge option after recording his second-best career season as a pass blocker in 2022, according to Pro Football Focus’ grading.