Windy City Gridiron
It’s hard to believe he’s a backup on the Cleveland Browns
This is probably an article that should have been written weeks ago, but I kept waiting for it to make sense.
Over two months later, it still doesn’t make sense to me.
I always assumed during 2024 that Teven Jenkins wasn’t going to be back with the Chicago Bears. It was unfortunate because I loved the way he played. His ability to move defenders in the run game was fun to watch. His pass protection was inconsistent but improved over his time in Chicago.
The injuries were a thing. They were a big thing. We know the cliche, the more important ability is availability, and that was always an issue for Jenkins. Even in the games Jenkins played, he seemingly needed to sit out for portions of the game or couldn’t finish them.
Jenkins played 45 games in Chicago during his four years here, meaning he missed 6 games a season. While I knew the Bears wouldn’t commit long-term to that type of player, I still assumed Jenkins would find a home starting somewhere across the league.
I assumed Jenkins would receive some sort of Nate Davis deal. Three years at $30 million with $20 million guaranteed? Maybe the guarantee would be a little less due to the injury, but of the 31 other teams, nobody wanted to guarantee Teven Jenkins $15 million? The Tennessee Titans just gave Dan Moore $50 million in guaranteed money, and, to me, Jenkins is the superior player (albeit guard vs tackle). But Moore has only missed 2 games in his 4-year career as opposed to 23.
Was it just the injuries that held back Jenkins in free agency, or was it something else? The Cleveland Browns finally signed Jenkins in late March, but they gave him a one-year, $3 million deal with $2 million of it guaranteed. This is a team that has a pretty solid interior trio of Wyatt Teller, Joel Bitonio, and Ethan Pocic, and two pretty solid, young players behind them in Luke Wypler and Zak Zinter.
Why is Teven Jenkins a backup on one of the worst teams in the NFL? Why wasn’t he worth even a one-year deal worth $7 or $8 million to start somewhere? Anywhere?
I wouldn’t expect someone to give Jenkins a massive deal. But no deal at all seems strange to me.
Are we, as Bears fans, just overvaluing our players? I know all fan bases do, and I feel Chicago might do it more than the average fan, but I try to be as objective as I can be when I discuss the Bears. Teven Jenkins is a good player with injury concerns. I don’t think that’s a bias, I think that’s an objective view of him.
But clearly, the rest of the NFL didn’t think so. I hope Jenkins proves the league wrong, gets a chance to play, and shows he’s far better than the contract he received. But for now, I’ll...
