Tag: Teven Jenkins

Bears’ Teven Jenkins, Nate Davis make PFF’s list of top NFL guards

PFF believes the Bears have two top-32 guards in Teven Jenkins and Nate Davis.

The Chicago Bears have spent the past few years overhauling their offensive line, which is even more important now with a rookie quarterback in Caleb Williams on the roster.

While there are still some question marks, Chicago has a solid tackle duo in Braxton Jones and Darnell Wright. And their interior linemen are also getting some recognition from the media.

Bears guard Teven Jenkins and Nate Davis were ranked among the top 32 guards in the NFL by Pro Football Focus, making Chicago one of 10 teams to have their starting duo on the list.

Jenkins landed at 16th on the list. PFF noted that he’s been slowed down by injuries, as he’s yet to play an entire season in the NFL. Since becoming a second-round pick in 2021, it took a while for him to play with regularity. Making the switch from tackle to guard has helped him reinvent himself with the Bears. Now, he’s looking to prove he’s worthy of an extension in a contract year.

Injuries have slowed Jenkins since he was drafted by the Bears in 2021, with the former second-round pick playing in no more than 13 games in a season since his rookie year. Despite that, Jenkins has shown real potential, earning an 80.7 PFF overall grade in 2022 and a 72.6 mark in 2023.

Jenkins allowed just 17 quarterback pressures in 12 games in 2023, and his 71.7 run-blocking grade ranked 11th among guards. His game is predicated on violence upon contact, and it’ll continue to be that way as he asserts himself as one of the better guards in the NFL.

Davis landed at 26th on the list. He’s entering his second season with the Bears, and the hope is it goes better than his first. Davis was hurt a fair amount and he didn’t perform the way we came to expect as a member of the Tennessee Titans. PFF mentioned that a return to form (and health) in 2024 would mean he is one of the better guards in the league.

Davis has been injury-prone in his five NFL seasons in the NFL, and he featured in just 11 games in his first season with the Chicago Bears. The former Titan wasn’t able to put his best foot forward in 2023, earning a 52.9 PFF overall grade — the second-lowest mark of his career. But Davis was a consistently strong run-blocker in the three seasons preceding 2023, earning a 71.8 run-blocking grade from 2020 to 2022.

A healthy season could see Davis reaffirm his status as a solid guard in the NFL.

Having a solid offensive line is crucial in the NFL, especially with a rookie quarterback under center. With the group that the Bears have, this offensive line could take a big leap forward as some of these guys develop. If they ever find a star at center, it may be one of the top groups in the league.

Normally, Chicago is void of any players on these kinds of lists. The fact that most of them feature multiple Bears players is an encouraging thing. We’ll see what this translates to on the field once the season starts. One thing is for sure, Williams would appreciate a great offensive line. If that happened, he’d have a much easier time hitting the ground running in the NFL.

Teven Jenkins says ‘nothing is on the table’ for Bears extension

Teven Jenkins has said he wants to a Bear for a long time, but he’s still waiting for the team to engage in contract negotiations.

It’s been quite the journey for offensive lineman Teven Jenkins ever since he became a member of the Chicago Bears. The former second-round pick was supposed to be the team’s franchise left tackle, then experienced a regime change, moved to right tackle, was supposedly on the trade block, and finally settled at guard, where he became one of the league’s better interior blockers.

Despite the rollercoaster early on, Jenkins found a home on the offensive line and is being counted on for the 2024 season as the Bears usher in a new offense and a new era. But anything beyond that is very much up in the air.

Jenkins said as much on Wednesday afternoon following Day 2 of Bears minicamp practice. Meeting with the media, Jenkins was asked if he had talked with the team about a possible contract extension as he is entering the final year of his deal. “Yeah, we reached out,” Jenkins said, but quickly made it clear where things stood. “Nothing is on the table.” A follow-up was asked on where things stood with him and the current administration. “Up in the air, can’t tell you,” Jenkins said while shaking his head.

According to Jenkins, one side is talking about wanting to do a deal. The question is, when will general manager Ryan Poles follow up? Jenkins is the next player in line for an extension, and he has excelled at guard when healthy. That’s the issue, though.

Since coming into the league back in 2021, Jenkins has started just 24 of 51 possible games due to injuries. He’s dealt with back issues, a neck injury, and lower body injuries, including one that kept him out of the team’s first four games last season. Jenkins knows he hasn’t been on the field enough and mentioned that as his top goal this upcoming season. “Stay healthy. That’s No. 1, and that’s of the utmost importance for me right now. Stay healthy, get through the whole 17 games, and continue my strong play from last year and be a more consistent, reliable guy.”

Jenkins has the potential to be a Pro Bowl guard if he can stay on the field. He allowed just three sacks all year in 2023, with two of them coming in the final game. He’s developed into a mauler in the run game and has been the team’s top interior lineman the last two years, despite moving from the right side to the left in 2023.

Poles hasn’t been shy about giving out extensions, even to the players he didn’t select. Tight end Cole Kmet and cornerback Jaylon Johnson both inked new four-year deals within the last 12 months, despite being selected by the previous regime. And while Kmet has been the team’s Iron Man, Johnson has dealt with his own health issues, which could have been one of the reasons for the holdup. Poles and Jenkins may have had a rocky start to their relationship, but things appear to be much better going into Year 3 together.

The Bears clearly need Jenkins to solidify the interior of their offensive line, given the constant shuffling that has been happening. If he can just stay healthy, there’s a much better chance of a deal getting done. And it’s not like Jenkins wants to go anywhere, either. “I want to be a Bear for a long time,” he said in an interview last month. Hopefully, the feeling winds up being mutual.

Teven Jenkins wants ‘to be a Bear for a long time’

Bears guard Teven Jenkins made it clear he wants to stay in Chicago for the long-term.

The Chicago Bears have done a good job building a solid situation for rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, including shoring up the offensive line. But the work doesn’t stop now, especially with a key member of the offensive line set to hit free agency in 2025.

Left guard Teven Jenkins has been Chicago’s best offensive lineman for the past couple of seasons, but he’s yet to play an entire season due to injuries.

General manager Ryan Poles will have an important decision to make about Jenkins’ future with the Bears next offseason. Jenkins, meanwhile, made it clear that he wants his future to be in Chicago, telling 670 the Score that he wants “to be a Bear for a long time.”

Poles has done a solid job locking down integral players to long-term extensions, including most recently cornerback Jaylon Johnson and tight end Cole Kmet. Jenkins is interested in having contract extension discussions.

“What I got from my agent, we had to wait until after the draft, is all I know,” Jenkins said. “We’re going to try to reach out to them here soon, but right now, we’re playing the waiting game. I want to be a Bear for a long time. I still do. That has not change since I’ve been drafted. But we’re going to see how things unfold and how things play out and just take it day by day. I’m just going to try to be a great leader for the O-line room and a great player for the team.”

This is the first time since his rookie season where Jenkins hasn’t switched positions. After staring at left tackle, Jenkins has thrived at right guard and left guard over the past two seasons. Now, he enters his second year of starting at left guard. But Jenkins is willing to play wherever he’s needed.

“Darnell (Wright) at right (tackle), Nate at right guard, we’re still having a position battle at center, me at left guard and Braxton (Jones) at left tackle right now,” Jenkins said. “I feel like that’s how we’re going to do this offseason right now, and that’s a great line right now to attack this whole offseason.”

Bears OL Teven Jenkins ruled out with concussion

The Bears offensive line was dealt a blow as Teven Jenkins (concussion) is out for the remainder of the Browns game.

The Chicago Bears suffered a big blow along the offensive line with left guard Teven Jenkins exiting Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns.

Jenkins suffered a concussion late in the second quarter, and he needed help leaving the field. Jenkins was carted to the locker room ahead of halftime and later ruled out.

Cody Whitehair replaced Jenkins at left guard, where he started the season. Whitehair was benched when right guard Nate Davis made his return to the lineup three games ago and Jenkins was back at left guard.

It’s been a close battle between the Bears and Browns, where both defenses have made their presence known. Whitehair and the rest of the offensive line face a tall task against this Cleveland defensive front, now down arguably their best offensive lineman, in the second half.

What the Bears’ offensive line is expected to look like vs. Raiders

With Nate Davis sidelined and Cody Whitehair’s snapping struggles, what can we expect the Bears offensive line to look like vs. Raiders?

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: The Chicago Bears are going to have yet another starting offensive line combination — and we’re only in Week 7.

With right guard Nate Davis sidelined with an ankle injury and center Cody Whitehair’s struggles with snaps, there was bound to be some change ahead of Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders

So what can we expect the starting offensive line to look like Sunday?

According to The Athletic‘s Adam Jahns, Whitehair will in fact be in the lineup, and there’s plenty of shuffling along the interior. The tackle situation remains the same with Larry Borom at left tackle (in place of an injured Braxton Jones) and Darnell Wright at right tackle.

But the interior is where things get interesting: Lucas Patrick will be at center with Whitehair at left guard and Teven Jenkins moving to right guard as a result.

At this point, it’s become clear that Whitehair could be on his way out after this season. He’s struggled — both at left guard and center — and general manager Ryan Poles needs to shore up multiple positions along the offensive line this offseason.

But, for whatever reason, head coach Matt Eberflus is electing not to stick with benching Whitehair — which is exactly what he did last Sunday after his snapping issues. You’d think Chicago would like to get a look at second-year pro Ja’Tyre Carter, who’s shown promise at right guard, and not force Jenkins to move from his left guard spot just to make room for Whitehair.

This lineup could certainly change ahead of Sunday’s kickoff against the Raiders. But, at least right now, it doesn’t seem ideal.

5 biggest storylines ahead of Bears vs. Vikings in Week 6

The Bears are aiming to build a winning streak against the Vikings. Here’s a look at the biggest storylines for Week 6.

Week 6 is upon us, and it’s shaping up to be a good one. The Chicago Bears will host the Minnesotqa Vikings for Sunday afternoon action.

The two teams are surprisingly evenly matched, as Minnesota has fallen well short of the expectation they set following their 13-4 season that included a postseason berth. It’ll be a game of two explosive offenses, with two fittingly bad defenses that will allow the opposing offense to do their work.

Chicago has the chance to create a winning streak, and the Vikings have the opportunity to begin to right a disastrous start to the season. With so much at stake, there are bound to be interesting narratives to keep track of.

Let’s discuss the five biggest storylines ahead of Bears vs. Vikings in Week 6.

Chicago Bears Stock Exchange: Who’s up, who’s down entering Week 6?

The Bears are coming off their first win of the year thanks to many players who are seeing their stock begin to rise.

For the first time in nearly a year, the Chicago Bears began a week of practice, coming off a regular-season win after they dismantled the Washington Commanders 40-20 on Thursday Night Football. The Bears were in control for most of the game as they got off to a fast start thanks to quarterback Justin Fields and wide receiver DJ Moore and never looked back. The score at halftime was 27-3, and though a late surge from the Commanders made things a bit more interesting late in the game, they were never a true threat to mount a comeback.

This was a team victory thanks to many different contributors on both sides of the ball, which means plenty of Bears players are seeing their stock rise as they get ready for a divisional matchup against the Minnesota Vikings. Here is the latest look at the Chicago Bears Stock Exchange heading into Week 6.

Good, bad and ugly from Bears’ Week 5 win over the Commanders

The Bears got its first win of the season against the Commanders. We break down the (mostly) good, bad and ugly from the victory.

It’s been a couple of days since the Chicago Bears’ triumphant victory over the Washington Commanders on Thursday Night Football, and victory has never tasted sweeter.

Quarterback Justin Fields now has a two-game sample size of elite play, the offense is firing on all cylinders, and the defense actually stood its ground and didn’t allow a miraculous comeback victory two weeks in a row. The Chicago faithful now get to enjoy a full slate of football knowing that their team has done its job.

Before all the exciting action kicks off tomorrow, let’s wax poetic about what the Bears did right in Week 5, and where they can improve with the extra time off this week.

Let’s break down the good, bad and ugly in the Bears Week 5 win over the Commanders.

10 takeaways from the Bears’ exciting win over the Commanders

From DJ Moore’s killer mentality to Greg Stroman’s big plays, here are our takeaways from the Bears win over Washington.

Our long national nightmare has finally come to an end. The Chicago Bears have won a football game for the first time in 346 days, beating the Washington Commanders 40-20 in prime time to kick off Week 5. Chicago sprinted out of the gates by demanding the ball to start the game and going down to score with ease. They were led by quarterback Justin Fields and DJ Moore, who had himself a career day, to drop 40 points on Washington, the most they scored in nearly three years.

The Commanders offense struggled early and didn’t find their groove until the second half. Though it got too close for comfort at times, they never overtook the lead from the Bears, and Chicago finally got the monkey off their back. A mini-bye week is up next to recover as they look ahead to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 6 to potentially start a winning streak, their first one in two years.

But before we look ahead, here are our takeaways from the Bears’ win over Washington.

Bears vs. Commanders: Everything we know about Chicago’s Week 5 win

The Bears snapped their 14-game losing streak and got their first win of the season. We break down their Week 5 victory:

The Chicago Bears have finally managed to banish their demons in the bright lights of Thursday Night Football against the Washington Commanders, getting a comfortable 40-20 victory and snapping a 14-game losing streak.

The win, in classic Bears fashion, had its highs and lows. Quarterback Justin Fields once again excelled and threw for four touchdowns, with his favorite target receiver DJ Moore being the beneficiary of those touchdowns, as he pulled in eight catches for 230 yards and three touchdowns. The team conversely nearly allowed the Commanders to pull off the comeback, but key plays by the defense kept the victory securely in hand.

This game was a whirlwind of emotions from start to finish. So let’s break down everything to know about the Bears’ Week 5 win.