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Well, depth at nose tackle just took a hit. Former Chicago Bears defensive lineman John Jenkins, who served as a key role player in the wake of starter Eddie Goldman’s absence last season, is signing with the Miami Dolphins, per Joe Schad of the Palm Beach Post.
Jenkins has spent two seasons with the Bears; The first was in 2017, when he was with the team for one year, playing in eight games and starting one. His second stint in the Windy City was last year, when he played in 11 games after Goldman opted out due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.
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John Jenkins Stats: He Played Some of His Best Ball With the Bears
Jenkins missed some time due to injury early on last season. He tore a ligament in his thumb, which landed him on the injured reserve list Weeks 3-5. He played 223 total snaps for Chicago (114 on run defense, 107 on pass rush), filling in capably for Goldman, who remains one of the most unheralded run stoppers both on the team and in the NFL.
Jenkins earned a 72.6 overall grade from Pro Football Focus last year, and a 69.8 grade on run defense. The 31-year-old defensive tackle had 21 total tackles, four hurries, a quarterback hit, five total pressures and a forced fumble in his 11 games with the Bears in 2020.
A third-round pick for the New Orleans Saints out of Georgia in 2013, Jenkins spent his first three and a half seasons with the Saints before they released him in 2016. The Seattle Seahawks picked him up for a few games late that year, and he spent his first stint in Chicago the following season. He was with the New York Giants in 2018 and the Dolphins in 2019, so this will be his second tenure in Miami, as well.
Jenkins has had the best two statistical seasons of his career in Chicago, per PFF, earning career-high grades of 76.8 in 2017 and 72.6 with the Bears last year.
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Bears Need to Replace Jenkins With Another Nose Tackle
“He has size,” former Bears defensive line coach Jay Rodgers said about Jenkins, via Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune. “He has length. He has power. He’s got really good foot speed. He loves to play the game. And he’s very coachable.”
After Goldman opted out of the 2020 season, the Bears leaned heavily on Jenkins, and with the departure of another stalwart run-stopper in Brent Urban, the Bears now have some depth issues on the d-line they still need to address.
Former Bears defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano heralded the depth of the defense last season after Goldman’s opt-out. That’s no longer the case, and whether the Bears address the need for another capable nose tackle and/or another run stopper in the draft or free agency, it’s now a more glaring need than it was last year, and it cannot go unaddressed.
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