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The Chicago Bears threw their hat in the ring, but ultimately, free agent offensive lineman Morgan Moses chose to sign with the New York Jets.
Moses, who was widely considered to be one of the top available free agents left on the market, started all 16 games in each of his previous six seasons with the Washington Football Team, and his durability would have been an asset to a Bears line that currently has a ton of question marks. Alas, it didn’t work out.
Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network reported via Twitter that while the Bears had “fruitful” discussions with Moses, he ultimately chose the Jets, who wanted him to play “at right tackle, where he’s more comfortable.” Apparently, the Bears were considering Moses at left tackle, where rookie Teven Jenkins is the planned starter. Interesting.
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Rookie Jenkins is Unproven at LT
Jenkins spent the bulk of his college career at right tackle, but the Bears are planning on moving him over to the left side, while keeping veteran Germain Ifedi on the right. For his part, the rookie seems amenable to playing anywhere, and says he has been focused on getting acclimated to the pro game.
“As of right now, I’m doing a rotation,” Jenkins said on June 17. “I’m working in the best I can. For me to get my feet wet, I’m trying my best to understand the pace of the game as we’re going against the defense and understanding how fast the changes from college to the NFL, of course. For me, it’s all about getting in with Coach Castillo and keep on working on my sets, working on my left and keep working on that until I’m getting more fluid and getting comfortable in my stance.”
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Bears HC Says Training Camp Will Be Big for Jenkins
Training camp officially begins for the Bears on July 27, and head coach Matt Nagy can’t wait, as it will be a good way to gauge how game-ready Jenkins and his fellow rookies are.
“I think for Tev, being able to line up now with the 1’s and see what that’s like being on the left side and getting to go up against some of these experienced vets and getting some communication with (offensive lineman) Cody (Whitehair),” will be beneficial, Nagy said, adding:
“Teven is doing a really good job of trying to get down the fundamentals of what coach (offensive line coach) Juan (Castillo) teaches and put it together and when we get to training camp and the pads come on and we start doing 1-on-1’s you can really truly see where these guys are at.”
While it’s unclear what Chicago’s plan was for Moses — he was likely going to be a bridge and mentor to Jenkins in the same way Andy Dalton is meant to be a bridge for the team and a mentor to rookie quarterback Justin Fields — he won’t be on Chicago’s roster come fall, which is a bummer, because the durability he brings is an invaluable asset. We’ll see what Jenkins has, but it’s hard not to ponder what might have been had the Bears had more fruitful talks with Moses.
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Bears Lose Out on Top Free Agent After ‘Fruitful’ Talks: Report