Getty The Cardinals and Bears could be fitting trade partners in a deal for Teven Jenkins.
The Arizona Cardinals are the subject of a lot of rumors right now, including one in which Chicago Bears linebacker Roquan Smith has been mentioned as a potential trade target. Adding Smith could put Arizona’s defense over the top, but the price for him would be massive.
However, another Bears player who has been linked to the Cardinals in a potential trade could prove more realistic and would give Arizona some much-needed improvements on the offensive line.
That player is tackle Teven Jenkins, whom Brad Spielberger of Pro Football Focus, in an August 17 story on top trade candidates before the start of the regular season, could fit on the Cardinals.
“Perhaps Jenkins could serve as a cheap option for the next three seasons while [tackle D.J.] Humphries, quarterback Kyler Murray and wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins play on big contracts, with wide receiver Marquise Brown potentially getting an extension of his own in the near future,” Spielberger wrote.
Jenkins’ Bumpy Road
After the Bears moved up in the 2021 draft to select Jenkins in the second round, Jenkins has not found success in the NFL after a stellar run at Oklahoma State.
Jenkins, 24, appeared in only six games during his rookie season after undergoing back surgery in August 2021. He finally made his NFL debut in December and played every one of the Bears’ offensive snaps in Week 14 against the Green Bay Packers. In the Bears’ final three games, however, Jenkins was used sparingly, playing a total of 39 offensive snaps.
By the time the Bears’ training camp arrived in July, Jenkins had been demoted to the second team, according to USA Today’s BearsWire. That’s when Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported that Chicago could be interested in trading Jenkins.
“The #Bears have received calls and have held trade talks centered around OT Teven Jenkins, sources tell me and @MikeGarafolo,” Rapoport tweeted on August 1. “The second round pick has drawn interest based on his potential. A situation to watch.”
The #Bears have received calls and have held trade talks centered around OT Teven Jenkins, sources tell me and @MikeGarafolo. The former 2nd round pick has drawn interest based on his potential. A situation to watch.
But then Jenkins appeared to improve as camp progressed, and he began to make a name for himself. He wound up starting the Bears’ August 18 win over the Seattle Seahawks and is now listed as a starter at right guard on Chicago’s depth chart.
Another Teven Jenkins rep at RG. Wins easily. The rest of the OL… yikes
On August 21, the Bears’ final day of training camp, Alyssa Barbieri of BearsWire wrote that the starting job was Jenkins’ to lose.
“The Bears have remained true to their promise to explore all possible combinations this summer, which has included a position move for Jenkins,” Barbieri wrote.
The Cardinals Could Be Active in the Trade Market
In Spielberger’s story, he projected that Jenkins’ trade value was a 2023 fourth-round pick.
Aarron Van Buren of FanSided’s Raising Arizona suggested in an August 3 story that the Cardinals attempt to acquire Jenkins. He suggested they send wide receiver Andy Isabella, an oft-mentioned candidate for trade, to the Bears in exchange for Jenkins, who could complement the recently extended D.J. Humphries on the offensive line.
After Arizona inked Kyler Murray to an eye-popping $231 million extension, finding protection for him upfront is a priority for general manager Steve Keim.