Adam Schefter Drops Shocking Nugget On Teven Jenkins
Adam Schefter is pound for pound the best NFL insider in the business. His accuracy rate is impossible to dispute. So when he has something to say about your team, it’s in your best interests to listen. While the Chicago Bears aren’t frontline news these days, they’ve found a way to draw his attention to a few interesting subjects. First was the ongoing hold-in by Roquan Smith over his contract extension. Schefter believes the Bears have a fair offer on the table. It is on the linebacker to decide before it’s too late.
Then there is Teven Jenkins. The former 2nd round pick got off a rough start in 2022. He began as the perceived starting right tackle, got demoted in minicamps, disappeared when training camp began and was rumored to have maturity issues with the new coaching staff. He finally returned this past week and was shifted to right guard. His strong performance in Seattle seems to have finally gotten people in his corner about starting.
That isn’t what Schefter hears, though. He explained this on the Peggy & Dionne Show for ESPN 1000.
“I still think he’ll be traded. Yeah, I do. My belief is that they’ll wind up trading him before the final roster cutdown day or right around there. If not before. My guess would be that he’s not a Bear this season, and we’ll see where they move him and what they get for him. It won’t be what they invested in him, but it’ll be something.”
Adam Schefter paints the idea that Jenkins’ resurgence is false.
The Bears aren’t trying to revive him in hopes he can start for them. They’re giving him a chance to sell himself to other teams. First, he played right tackle against Kansas City and now right guard against Seattle. He looked competent in both outings. It may not recoup the 2nd round pick Chicago sank into him last year, but it should be enough to secure them a mid-round selection. Not exactly the turnaround fans were hoping for.
One thing about regime changes in the NFL is that nobody is safe when they happen. Players drafted high under the previous GM don’t have the same protection. Clearly, Ryan Poles and the new coaching staff weren’t impressed with Jenkins. Whatever happened that caused his absence during training camp lacked explanation. They said it was health-related, but the sparse details make that tough to accept.
If Adam Schefter is correct, this would be the latest in a long series of disappointing offensive line developments for the Bears.