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Fans of the Chicago Bears are all too familiar with high draft picks that, for one reason or another, didn’t work out. After getting lauded for a 2021 draft class that includes Justin Fields, Teven Jenkins and Thomas Graham, Jr., some are now growing concerned about one player in particular.
The Bears moved up to take Jenkins in the second round this year with the 39th overall pick, and many applauded the move, as he was a projected first rounder by several draft analysts. Due to his recent back issue, however, the young tackle has started to raise some eyebrows after missing the team’s first seven training camp practices. Now, some new information has come to light: According to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, Jenkins’ back injury may not be a new one.
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Biggs: Jenkins Had Back Injury Dating Back to College Days
Biggs says that heading into the draft, the Bears did not have any concerns about Jenkins or his injury history, but perhaps they should have, as the offensive lineman apparently missed his final three games with Oklahoma State in 2020 due to a lumbar strain. Here’s what Biggs wrote about the situation with Jenkins on August 4:
“I don’t believe back issues were a concern for the Bears or other teams regarding Jenkins in the pre-draft process. He missed the final three games last season at Oklahoma State with a lumbar strain, according to an NFL source who looked at his combine medical report. The source said the report noted that Jenkins had two concussions in college, but he stressed that nothing stood out as ‘uncommon’ or concerning.”
Did the Bears know about Kenkins’ lumbar issue before they drafted him? If they did, they haven’t mentioned it.
Gene Chamberlain of Sports Illustrated noted that it was on the Bears to do their due diligence when it comes to researching their draft picks and their respective injury histories, and he’s right — if Jenkins had a back issue, it was on Chicago to have a thorough understanding of how serious it was. It’s unclear whether they did. “Considering teams have the build-up to the draft, there’s no reason for players to get into the NFL without teams knowing enough about their past injuries beyond carelessness,” Chamberlain wrote, adding:
“In February there was no NFL combine, but they did have the medical version of the combine, which is when all the X-rays and medical tests are examined. So the pandemic didn’t affect this aspect of the predraft process.”
Alrighty then.
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Bears Say They’re Bringing Jenkins Along Slowly
Bears head coach Matt Nagy has been a bit of a broken record when talking about Jenkins’ injury. “Honestly I don’t know,” Nagy said on August 3 when asked when the left tackle may return. “All I can say is I feel like the arrow is—Every day it’s getting a little bit, better. It’s not going the other way.”
“It won’t be real long, because we want to get him going, but we wanna be smart with it, which is kinda what we’re doing right now,” Nagy added. “The sooner the better for us. We know every rep counts. He’s a rookie. He hasn’t been out there yet. In the meantime we gotta make sure other guys are getting opportunities. I think that’s what you’re going to continue to see here.”
Rookie offensive lineman Larry Borom has seen increased work in the absence of Jenkins and the team’s starting right tackle, Germain Ifedi.
“With Teven,” Nagy said on August 6, “Every day is a new day for all these guys with the way their bodies go. I just know this, if you’re not out there, it gives somebody an opportunity, right? At any position, forget just left tackle. It’s right now in training camp, what a great time for people to know there’s opportunities.”
Time will tell when Jenkins will get his opportunity — but the Bears and their fans sure hope it’s soon.
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