On Monday morning, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reported that Chicago Bears starting left guard Teven Jenkins could miss six weeks with a leg injury.
It was not known — outside of Halas Hall, at least — that Jenkins had an injury, and the details had been vague following Biggs’ report, until ESPN’s Adam Schefter provided more specifics on Monday’s edition of NFL Live.
Schefter said, “Teven Jenkins is dealing with, what I’m told is two strained calfs. Both calves are strained. At this point in time, he is expected to miss the start of the season. We’ll see when he can get back out there. He injured his leg last week. I think it’s actually both legs. I think it’s actually both calves. I’ve never heard of that before. But that’s what was told to me and described to me.”
So, it appears that Jenkins has a calf injury on *each* leg. That’s quite bizarre, and it would seem to lessen the chances of a quicker recovery period.
Jenkins participated in the Bears’ joint practice against the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday before sitting out the preseason game between the two teams on Saturday (so did just about every other Bears starter).
Unfortunately, injuries are nothing new to Jenkins. The 2021 second-round pick (39th overall by the Bears) played in just 19 games over his first two NFL seasons.
Teven has played 100% of the offensive snaps 6 times in his entire NFL career. https://t.co/zLyEddazWs
— Bill Zimmerman (@BillTZimmerman) August 21, 2023
When he’s been on the field, Jenkins has shown his talent and upside. Pro Football Focus graded Jenkins as one of the NFL’s top offensive guards in 2022 and had him on their 2023 All-Breakout Team.
So, the Bears hope that the calf injuries don’t sideline Jenkins too deep into the 2023 NFL season. It’s a huge season — Year 3 — for Chicago quarterback Justin Fields, and he’ll need his offensive line to give him pass protection and the opportunity to succeed.
Without Jenkins, the Bears may look to give Ja’Tyre Carter a look at left guard, with veteran Nate Davis set to start at right guard. Carter — a seventh-round selection by the Bears in the 2022 NFL Draft — has been a standout performer at right guard in training camp.