Bears Shouldn’t Let Teven Jenkins Stroll (Or Limp) Out The Door

No particular person personifies the angst over the Bears’ offensive line larger than Teven Jenkins. His bother staying on the sector makes it simple to suppose Ryan Poles ought to simply let him stroll away as a free agent, notably if the opposite choice is giving him $10 million per you to hope he stays healthful.

Nonetheless perhaps the Bears should discover a method to be artistic and cling onto Jenkins for on the very least a yr or two, crossing their fingers he can keep it up the sector subsequent season.

A way or one completely different, rebuilding the offensive line defending Caleb Williams is the brief precedence for Poles and head coach Ben Johnson. The one really acknowledged amount is true deal with Darnell Wright, given the left deal with Braxton Jones’ ongoing restoration from a damaged left ankle. The inside of the road, which was patched collectively in 2024, is anyone’s guess.

Jenkins, Wright and Jones have been the best devices of the road that Expert Soccer Focus ranked twenty fourth after being blamed for 37 of Williams’ 68 sacks. Jenkins was ranked thirteenth amongst 77 qualifying guards by PFF, making it three years in a row he’s been above the 14 greatest in PFF grading.

When the Bears carried out the Saints in Week 9 of 2023, Jenkins turned in a 91.1 PFF rating, the best of the week by NFL linemen. He was virtually nearly practically pretty much as good within the course of the Commanders in Week 8 closing season, permitting no pressures (or sacks).

The issue with Jenkins is never the standard of his work; it’s the quantity. He carried out solely 37 of the Bears’ 60 offensive snaps in that Washington recreation and completed the season having carried out 738 total snaps, which ranked fifty fifth amongst guards. He was 52nd in 2023 with 731 snaps.

Jenkins has had just one surgical course of with the Bears. Nonetheless that after extra surgical course of wrecked his rookie season and has led to his popularity for being fragile. He’s missed 15 of 51 video video video games the last word three seasons with quite a lot of seemingly unrelated accidents — a neck harm in 2022, which triggered his to be stretched off the sector; a concussion in ’23, and rib, ankle and calf accidents in 24.

The Bears seemingly would have signed Jenkins to a large contract extension by this stage had he been further healthful. He talked about at one stage the edges have been anticipated to speak contract within the midst of the Week 7 bye nonetheless, inside the event that they occurred, these talks went nowhere. The Bears have been centered on his quick availability, not the long run, after he left one October recreation with a rib harm and one completely different with an ankle harm.

It’s unlikely the Bears medical workers goes to endorse a big funding in Jenkins. Nonetheless given the issue of creating an offensive line, Poles and Johnson may wish to ponder a restricted hazard on Jenkins. He may very correctly be a serious depth piece even when Poles lands three inside linemen by free agency and the draft.

Spotrac calls Jenkins’ market value as $31 million over three years. Nonetheless he heads into free agency figuring out his harm historic earlier will almost certainly be as numerous an issue to completely completely different groups as a result of it is to the Bears. Poles’ roster is in the mean time $65.9 million beneath the wage cap (fifth greatest contained in the NFL) and that total will virtually positively develop to $75 million as rapidly as he releases a variety of veterans (these candidates embody Gerald Everett and Ryan Bates).

Jenkins may really actually really feel he has to confirm the market. He’s earned the precise. Nonetheless he’s talked about he desires to remain in Chicago. Presumably there’s a method to work out a artistic contract that retains him. Jenkins has been an asset, not a obligation.