Bears’ Teven Jenkins Clears Major Injury Hurdle Ahead of TNF

Getty Bears left guard Teven Jenkins was designated for return from injured reserve on October 2.

The Chicago Bears could be getting some long-awaited reinforcements for the interior of their offensive line heading into their Week 5 prime-time matchup with the Washington Commanders on Thursday Night Football.

The Bears officially designated starting left guard Teven Jenkins for return from injured reserve on Monday, opening the 21-day window for him to be activated back to the 53-man roster. Even better, Jenkins was counted as a full participant for Monday’s first walkthrough practice of the week, a sign that he could play against the Commanders.

Jenkins moved to left guard early in the 2023 offseason and had been the expected starter at the position through much of training camp until he suffered a pair of calf injuries that sidelined him down the stretch of August. The Bears carried him on their initial 53-man roster but promptly placed him on injured reserve in hopes that he would be able to return at the earliest window in Week 5 against Washington.

“We feel like it’s a week-to-week thing, not too serious,” Bears general manager Ryan Poles said about Jenkins’ injury on August 30 when it was revealed he would be going on injured reserve. “He’ll be designated for return [when eligible], and then when he comes back [from injured reserve], he should be good to go.”

Jenkins was one of four players listed on the Bears’ first injury report for Week 5 and the only among them who participated in Monday’s walkthrough. The Bears did not have either free safety Eddie Jackson (foot) or cornerback Jaylon Johnson (hamstring) participating due to injuries and were also without wide receiver Chase Claypool — who remains away from the team facility for a reason that is only listed as “other.”

Bears Could Finally Get Look at Intended Interior OL

If Jenkins is cleared to play against the Commanders, the Bears will finally have the chance to see how their offensive line performs when all three of their starting interior linemen are on the field at the same time and playing their intended positions.

Things have been a bit of a mess for the Bears on the inside since losing Jenkins to an injury. Without him, they moved Cody Whitehair from center back to left guard — where he played in 2022 — and promoted Lucas Patrick to the starting center job, a role that he has not handled well over the first four games. On top of that, the Bears were also without Nate Davis for two games while he was dealing with a death in the family.

While Davis looked sturdy in his Week 4 return, allowing zero pressures on 42 pass-blocking snaps against Denver, Whitehair and Patrick have each allowed double-digit pressure through four games and have both been liabilities blocking for the run game. Patrick has also struggled to cleanly snap the ball back to quarterback Justin Fields, giving him multiple wobblers or off-target snaps per game that complicate the plays.

Now, does that mean the Bears will improve their interior protection and snapping consistency simply by re-inserting Jenkins and moving Whitehair back to center? Not necessarily, but it is at least a move back toward the original plan when the Bears sat down and planned out what they wanted their offensive line to look like for 2023.

Will Larry Borom Hold Up at Left Tackle for Bears?

Even if Jenkins is back for Thursday’s game, the Bears are still several weeks away from having their offensive line at full strength again with starting left tackle Braxton Jones stuck on injured reserve with a neck injury until Week 7 at the earliest.

In the meantime, can they trust Larry Borom to hold down the left tackle spot?

Borom was solid as a pass-blocker in his first relief start against Kansas City in Week 3, but his second performance of the year against the Broncos was rougher. He allowed one sack, two hurries and four total pressures over his 42 pass-blocking snaps and was penalized twice for false starts. He has also been a below-average run blocker in both games, raising questions about the long-term viability of Borom at the position.

If the Bears believe Jones can return sooner rather than later, they might be willing to weather the storm with Borom. If he struggles again in Week 5, though, it could be time for them to consider looking elsewhere for reinforcements, such as free agency.