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Teven Jenkins is ready to play — and he doesn’t seem particularly concerned about what position he’ll be playing. The Chicago Bears took the former Oklahoma State offensive lineman with their only pick in the 2nd round (39th overall) this year, trading up to do so.
The 6’6″ 317-pound o-lineman spent significant time at both left and right tackle during his three years with the Cowboys, playing 450 snaps at left tackle and 1,418 snaps at right tackle over the 2018-19 seasons, and 33 snaps at left and 426 snaps at right in a shortened 2020 season. In 1,207 pass blocking snaps, he allowed just two sacks and three quarterback hits over three seasons, and he should be a Week 1 starter for Matt Nagy and company.
While playing primarily at right tackle, the Bears admitted after drafting Jenkins that they’re not quite sure where he’ll be lining up next season.”The great thing about him is he’s played both guard spots and both tackle spots there,” Bears GM Ryan Pace said. “There’s plenty of left tackle tape, so we feel that he can play both tackle positions, and we’ve just got to sort through that.”
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Jenkins Is Very Open to Moving Around on the Line
His college coach at Oklahoma State, Mike Gundy, told reporters he thinks Jenkins will be fine anywhere on the offensive line. “He’s so talented athletically below the hips, I can’t imagine they wouldn’t be able to train him either way,” Gundy said about his former player.
“What I think is cool is sometimes you see these big linemen and they create movement at the point of attack on the line of scrimmage, but then they’re limited in space. They might be stiff at the second level or they can’t get downfield. Teven can do both,” Pace added. “He can drive defensive linemen off the ball, then he can also chip, release to the second level and make a block in space on a linebacker, which is encouraging to see.”
Jenkins also noted that he made a point to ask Gundy to let him take some snaps at other positions on the line, including at center. “I’ve also been snapping, so just in case anything happens at center, I can do that too,” Jenkins said, describing his versatility.
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Jenkins Vows to Play With an Edge
The 23-year-old rookie noted he’s not going to be afraid to be aggressive, regardless of position. “My edge to me is about being able to finish anybody in the dirt. I don’t care who you are lining up against me, I don’t care what you earn against me, I don’t care who you are, I’m going to attack you,” Jenkins said.
“Basically, I want to impose my will against another man and use that force against him until he gets worn out and tired. And I don’t care how long it takes. I’m going to do that 24/7 and I’m going to do that all game.”
He’s also hoping to be starting Week 1. “I’m ready right now. I’m ready forever,” he said.
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