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 hassle staying on the sector makes it straightforward to suppose Ryan Poles ought to simply let him stroll away as a free agent, notably if the opposite different is giving him $10 million per you to hope he stays healthful.

Nonetheless possibly the Bears must discover a method to be ingenious 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 really acknowledged amount is suitable address Darnell Wright, given the left address 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 perfect 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 finest in PFF grading.

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

The problem with Jenkins is not 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 completed 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 after extra surgical course of wrecked his rookie season and has led to his repute for being fragile. He’s missed 15 of 51 video video video games the last word three seasons with a wide range 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 infinite 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 midst 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 creating an offensive line, Poles and Johnson would possibly need to ponder a restricted hazard on Jenkins. He would possibly very properly be a significant 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 definitely be as a great deal of a difficulty to utterly completely different groups as a result of it is to the Bears. Poles’ roster is for the time being $65.9 million beneath the wage cap (fifth finest all through the NFL) and that full will likely develop to $75 million as rapidly as he releases loads of veterans (these candidates embody Gerald Everett and Ryan Bates).

Jenkins may very well 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 way to work out a ingenious contract that retains him. Jenkins has been an asset, not a obligation.