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

No particular person personifies the angst over the Bears’ offensive line bigger 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, considerably if the choice choice is giving him $10 million per you to hope he stays healthful.

However possibly the Bears should discover a solution to be ingenious 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 method or one totally 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 correct 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 achieved 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. However that after 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 final 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 unlimited contract extension by this stage had he been extra healthful. He talked about at one stage the perimeters have been anticipated to speak contract in the course 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 hurt and one totally different with an ankle hurt.

It’s unlikely the Bears medical staff goes to endorse a big funding in Jenkins. However given the issue of building an offensive line, Poles and Johnson may wish to ponder a restricted hazard on Jenkins. He may very properly 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. However he heads into free agency figuring out his hurt historic earlier will most probably be as various an issue to completely totally different groups as a result of it is to the Bears. Poles’ roster is at the moment $65.9 million beneath the wage cap (fifth greatest all through the NFL) and that total will likely develop to $75 million as shortly as he releases loads of veterans (these candidates embody Gerald Everett and Ryan Bates).

Jenkins may very well actually really feel he has to look at the market. He’s earned the precise. However he’s talked about he desires to remain in Chicago. Most likely there’s a solution to work out a ingenious contract that retains him. Jenkins has been an asset, not a obligation.