Getty Bears head coach Matt Eberflus was pleased with Teven Jenkins at right guard.
Despite finding his niche with the team in recent weeks, one of the NFL’s top insiders thinks the Chicago Bears are going to trade second-year offensive lineman Teven Jenkins.
The 39th overall pick in the 2021 draft, back surgery limited Jenkins to just six games (two starts) as a rookie at left tackle last year, and after a rough start at the position in training camp in 2022, the coaching staff moved him over to right guard. He started Chicago’s second preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks, playing 23 snaps at RG in the team’s 27-11 victory. It was a small sample size, but he didn’t allow a single sack, pressure or QB hit, and he earned an impressive 82.6 pass blocking grade from PFF.
With Teven Jenkins now at RG, it’s likely we will see more pulls from him.
Jenkins isn’t a natural RG, but his massive frame and athleticism could make him a dominant downhill blocker. #DaBears
Despite Jenkins’ promising debut at right guard, NFL insider Adam Schefter still thinks the 24-year-old O-Lineman is going to be traded. Schefter appeared on ESPN 1000’s Peggy & Dionne on August 20, and when hosts Peggy Kusinski and Dionne Miller asked him if there is a market for Jenkins, he answered in the affirmative.
“I still think he’ll be traded, I do,” Schefter said. “My belief is that they’ll wind up trading him before the final roster cutdown day, or right around there — if not before. My guess would be that he’s not a Bear this season. We’ll see where they move him and what they get for him. I don’t think — it won’t be what they’ve invested in him, but it’ll be something.”
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Bears Likely Won’t Trade Jenkins Now
Schefter later said he could see the Bears getting a fourth- or fifth-round pick in exchange for the young O-Lineman, but that seems nonsensical. Why would general manager Ryan Poles part with a promising young offensive lineman in exchange for a hit or miss player in Round 5, maybe Round 4?
The 6-foot-6, 320-pound Jenkins has the athleticism and size required to be a dominant force in the league — he just needs more time to develop, which he’s currently getting. If he can continue to gel at right guard, it would be a shock if the Bears moved him. The young OL has been the subject of trade rumors for nearly a month, with Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reporting on August 1 that the Bears have held trade talks for Jenkins.
If his performance declines, a trade is possible, but Chicago needs linemen to protect quarterback Justin Fields more than anything. Veteran Riley Reiff would be the likely starter if Jenkins was gone, but Bears head coach Matt Eberflus was pleased with Jenkins at RG, so the ship may have sailed when it comes to trading him.
“He had a good first outing in there.” — Bears coach Matt Eberflus on RG Teven Jenkins
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Jenkins May Have Just Found His Niche in Chicago
“He’s been great,” Fields said about Jenkins at RG after the team’s win in Seattle. “I think he’s been adjusting well. He works hard at it. I’m excited to see him kind of switch positions and see how this right guard position works out for him.”
The second-year QB also noted Jenkins is looking more comfortable every day.
“Is there a sense of comfortability? I think yes, for sure. Just the amount of work he puts in, and just seeing it in practice,” Fields added.
For his part, Jenkins is gaining confidence with each snap, and that’s key.
“I had to bring myself back down to earth,” Jenkins said after the Bears’ preseason opener, via the Chicago Sun-Times. “Like, I’m still here, I’m still doing this, my body is 100 percent, I could do this. I just have to trust myself to be able to perform high.”
“Everything right now is pointing up for me,” Jenkins added. “I’m feeling good.”
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Top NFL Insider on Bears Standout: ‘They’ll Wind Up Trading Him’