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

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

Nonetheless possibly the Bears must discover a option to be inventive and cling onto Jenkins for on the very least a yr or two, crossing their fingers he can keep on the sector subsequent season.

A method or one completely different, rebuilding the offensive line defending Caleb Williams is the quick precedence for Poles and head coach Ben Johnson. The one truly acknowledged amount is acceptable handle Darnell Wright, given the left handle 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 only 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 only of the week by NFL linemen. He was virtually nearly practically pretty much as good within the course of the Commanders in Week 8 final season, permitting no pressures (or sacks).

The issue with Jenkins is never the same old of his work; it’s the quantity. He carried out solely 37 of the Bears’ 60 offensive snaps in that Washington recreation and achieved the season having carried out 738 full 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 when extra surgical course of wrecked his rookie season and has led to his status 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 hurt 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 an unlimited contract extension by this stage had he been additional healthful. He talked about at one stage the edges have been anticipated to speak contract in the course of the Week 7 bye however, throughout 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 hurt and one completely different with an ankle hurt.

It’s unlikely the Bears medical employees goes to endorse a big funding in Jenkins. Nonetheless given the problem of establishing an offensive line, Poles and Johnson would possibly wish to ponder a restricted hazard on Jenkins. He would possibly very successfully be a giant depth piece even when Poles lands three inside linemen by free agency and the draft.

Spotrac calls Jenkins’ market worth as $31 million over three years. Nonetheless he heads into free agency figuring out his hurt historic earlier will most likely be as numerous an issue to completely completely different groups as a result of it is to the Bears. Poles’ roster is in the interim $65.9 million beneath the wage cap (fifth greatest all through the NFL) and that full will most actually develop to $75 million as shortly as he releases plenty of veterans (these candidates embody Gerald Everett and Ryan Bates).

Jenkins may very well actually really feel he has to check the market. He’s earned the precise. Nonetheless he’s talked about he needs to remain in Chicago. Presumably there’s a option to work out a inventive contract that retains him. Jenkins has been an asset, not a obligation.