The Chicago Bears suffered a big blow with the news that offensive lineman Teven Jenkins could miss six weeks due to an injury to his leg.
One of the keys to a successful season is the health of key players, especially starters. Teams like the Chicago Bears need to have those players ready to go to help win some games.
Thus it was frustrating when it was reported that offensive lineman Teven Jenkins could miss six weeks with an apparent leg injury.
Jenkins has dealt with injuries throughout his two-year career. He had a back injury that required surgery and missed all but the final month of his rookie season in 2021.
Last season, he had knee and neck injuries that held him out of four games. In all, he missed 15 of a possible 34 games in his career.
Now it looks as if he could miss the first month of the 2023 season.
Jenkins left training camp a couple of weeks ago with an injury but head coach Matt Eberflus said it was not serious. Then he left practice last week in the Bears’ joint practice with the Indianapolis Colts.
Jenkins met with reporters after the practices but did not mention anything about an injury. Now this news is a blow to an offense that looks to show marked improvement in 2023 with an infusion of talent.
The Bears have been guarded with giving injury news. When Jenkins had his back issue the team gave no hint that surgery was coming. Then they released the bomb. The team was tight-lipped again with the latest injury news.
There is a lot of concern about Jenkins’ durability. He continues to miss games. The team depends on having him. If he cannot stay healthy then he can’t help the offense improve.
The team is also dealing with an injury to right guard Nate Davis. Davis signed as a free agent this offseason. He missed the majority of training camp so far dealing with an injury. Of course, that injury is also undisclosed.
Who steps up now?
If Jenkins misses a significant amount of time, the Chicago Bears could place him on injured reserve with a designation of return. That means he misses a minimum of four games.
Who do the Bears look to in Jenkins’ absence? His backup is Alex Leatherwood. Leatherwood is a talented player who has not put it together on the pro level yet. Like Jenkins, he was also a tackle who shifted to guard.
Additionally, Lucas Patrick is an option. He came in last season to be the center, but injuries derailed that plan. He is now a swing guard. In addition to playing center, he has experience playing both guard spots.
Having Leatherwood or Patrick take over at starters affects the Bears’ depth on the line, however.
The Bears are in a position to go the free agent route as well. They still have about $16.34 million in salary cap space to use. They could find a good player to step in.
Some options for the Bears remain. Dalton Risner, who started 62 games over the past four seasons for the Denver Broncos, is both effective and durable. He allowed just 10 sacks in 2,304 snaps. Additionally, he missed just four career games.
Andrew Norwell is another option. He played 16 games last season (all starts) for the Washington Commanders. He played a career-high 1,120 snaps and allowed four sacks.
General manager Ryan Poles has done a great job of overhauling the roster. Now he must figure out how to best handle this news. Does he feel that the line could handle Jenkins’ injury and still do well in his absence? Does he feel he has to go outside and bring someone else in to step up?
This is news that every team has to deal with every season. However, the Chicago Bears did not want to deal with this so soon. It will be interesting to see what happens in Jenkins’ future in Chicago. Hopefully, it does not prevent the team from improving in the 2023 season.
