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Rookie left tackle Teven Jenkins has yet to hit the practice field for the Chicago Bears, and the growing concern over his injury isn’t going away until he does.
The hype surrounding Jenkins is real, but so is the delay. The Bears moved up to snag him in the second round of the draft this year, and while many had him as a projected first round pick, others passed on the Oklahoma State standout. Jenkins has been sitting out of training camp due to back tightness that could very likely be related to lumbar issues he dealt with at the end of his final collegiate season.
In an August 11 appearance on Mully & Haugh on WSCR 670 The Score, Bears head coach Matt Nagy spoke to co-hosts Mike Mulligan and David Haugh about several things, including Jenkins’ injury, and Bears fans aren’t going to be thrilled with the latest news.
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Nagy: ‘Teven is Frustrated’
“Teven is doing everything he can right now to get through this,” Nagy told Mulligan and Haugh. “We were well aware of everything, with some of the back issues that he had in college. Right now, this is just a part of the process, and we know that. We’re just going to keep staying positive with him, and we have a plan with Andre Tucker, our head trainer, and our doctors. Obviously, Teven is frustrated, because he wants to be out here with his brothers. But right now, that’s not the case. He’s just doing everything he can do each day to get better in the training room.”
The Bears coach then revealed a degree of uncertainty surrounding the rookie o-lineman that’s more than a tad concerning considering the team’s first preseason game is two days away.
“You play the what if game,” Nagy said about Jenkins’ return. “What if he’s ready tomorrow, what happens in practice? What if he’s ready in one week — what does that look like? That’s where we just gotta stay in good communication with our trainers and just get a feel for where things are going each day.”
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Left Tackle is Elijah Wilkinson’s Job to Lose
“In the meantime, we got to focus on what we have right now going on there,” Nagy said, in reference to the left tackle position.
“I think it’s been well-stated that that’s an open competition. That’s going to be one of our No. 1 objectives, is making sure we go about that thing the right way. And I’ll just say this – Juan Castillo as our offensive line coach, I put a lot of stock and trust into him, and I really believe that regardless of where this thing goes and how it gets there, I have confidence in knowing we as coaches and him as a coach specifically at that position, that we’ll be able to get through this thing.”
Nagy stating that there is currently an open competition for the spot Jenkins was the presumed starter for when he was drafted is concerning, but it’s also good the Bears aren’t trying to rush the rookie onto the field before he’s ready. Veteran free agent signing Elijah Wilkinson is currently listed as the starter at LT on the team’s depth chart, and he’ll likely get the nod Week 1, barring injury or an unforeseen surge from an unexpected player like rookie Larry Borom.
In the meantime, it’s looking like the return of Jenkins is as unclear as ever.
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