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The Chicago Bears’ 53-man roster and 16-man training squad are set – for now. GM Ryan Pace and his staff have made the tough downsizing decisions over the past few days and arrived at the first iteration (which has already undergone some tweaks) of the 2021 Bears.
One of the notable changes to the roster was the placement of rookie offensive tackle Teven Jenkins in the injured reserve. He will be eligible to return after three weeks, although it is likely that he will be away for much longer than that.
Jenkins’ placement in the casualty reserve comes as no surprise considering the back injury that forced him to give up all training camp practices and required surgery to repair. Still, it amplifies concerns surrounding Chicago’s offensive line.
The Bears will start the year with Jason Peters, 39, on left tackle and Germain Ifedi on right tackle. It could be worse, but it sure could be better too.
As for Jenkins’ long-term prognosis? Pace is convinced the worst is behind his second-round pick.
“Without going into details, his leg started to hurt – I think just because of the nerve,” Pace told Halas Hall on Wednesday. “The advantage? As soon as we made it [the surgery], these symptoms disappeared. So we feel good there. … And the good thing, guys, is that just because he had back surgery, it doesn’t mean he won’t have a good NFL career. We are excited about the player, excited about the direction he is taking. Now we think we have solved the problem.
Bears fans have every right to be cautiously optimistic about Jenkins. Not too long ago, Chicago attempted to sell Kevin White’s leg injury, the 2015 first-round pick, as shin splints. It later turned out to be a late season fracture.
Jenkins’ back problems are nothing new. His final season at Oklahoma State was cut short because of his back, albeit with a different injury. The Bears knew it and didn’t get discouraged on draft day, so much so that Pace traded for his precious left tackle.
“We knew everything about his comeback… everyone knew it,” Pace said. “When he showed up to training camp he was having different symptoms than he had ever had in college, so we kind of got over that. We tried to follow all natural processes… in the end, it required surgery. It was a routine operation.
It’s a leap of faith to call a back surgery for a ‘common’ 300-pound offensive tackle, but at this point, faith is all Bears fans can hold on to when it comes to l future of Jenkins.
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