Teven Jenkins has come a long way since his name was floated in trade talks during the preseason. He has performed admirably since moving to the interior and has even looked like one of the team's most promising linemen in his new spot. The only issue with his play thus far is that we have not seen enough of it, as the coaching staff has opted to use a rotation at the right guard spot, where he and Lucas Patrick have seen nearly equal playing time.
Jenkins not only held his own against the San Francisco 49ers' stout defensive line in Week One; he outright bullied them. He only allowed one pressure and made several key blocks that helped the Bears keep drives alive. Chicago's offense seemed to be operating more efficiently with him in the lineup, which makes sense considering Pro Football Focus gave him a grade of 77.9 (eighth-best amongst guards) for the contest. However, he only played 53% of the snaps due to splitting time with Patrick.
His playing time dipped even further against the Green Bay Packers; he was only on the field for 46% of the team's offensive snaps. While the play-calling against Green Bay left a lot to be desired, the running game showed glimpses of what the team's offensive identity should be. The offensive line dominated Green Bay's front seven all night and helped pave the way for a dominant 180-yard performance on the ground.
Bears need Teven Jenkins to pave the way for the running game
The Bears running attack will be vital to their success this season, as they lack the playmakers on the perimeter to stress defenses through the air. If they plan to lean on the ground game as they should, they will need to make a concerted effort to get Jenkins, who has shown glimpses of being their best run blocker, on the field more. The 24-year-old plays with a road-graders mindset in the running game. Just winning a rep is not enough for him; He plays through the whistle and tries to take his opponent for a ride on every play. He may not be a finished product yet, but he will only get better as he continues to gain experience at guard, and there is more than enough to work with in the meantime.
The Bears' best option for the interior would be moving Patrick to center (a position he previously played in Green Bay) to replace Sam Mustipher, who lacks the play strength to be a difference maker and has proven to be a liability through two games. Patrick's lack of experience snapping the ball to Fields (due to a training camp thumb injury that sidelined him for the preseason) has understandably given the team pause before throwing him in at center. However, the quicker they can get practice reps with one another, the better off the line will be, as that would effectively get their best players on the field.
The Bears have gotten the hard part out of the way. They have identified their five best offensive linemen. Now all they have to do is get them all on the field, and that starts with Teven Jenkins becoming an every-down player at right guard.
[spreaker type=player resource="show_id=5636996" width="100%" height="350px" theme="light" playlist="show" playlist-continuous="false" chapters-image="true" episode-image-position="right" hide-logo="false" hide-likes="false" hide-comments="false" hide-sharing="false" hide-download="true" cover="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_website_show_cover/images.spreaker.com/original/3387c0d2eb4cc1aa6dce768aa31894a1.jpg"]