Coming out of college, Bears offensive lineman Teven Jenkins was hailed for his nastiness in the trenches. It was something that attracted the previous regime to Jenkins, which is why they traded up to land him in the second round of the 2021 NFL draft.
Fans caught a glimpse of that in Jenkins’ limited action as a rookie, and it’s something his teammate David Montgomery has learned to appreciate.
“He’s nasty,” Montgomery said. “He’s got controlled chaos. You can kind of see it when he’s playing.”
It’s been a rough start to Jenkins’ NFL career, which started with him missing most of his rookie season after back surgery. This offseason, Jenkins was demoted to the second-team offense after beginning the spring as the starting right tackle.
Flash forward to training camp, Jenkins remained with the backups and then went on to miss seven straight practices. Rumors about a fallout with the coaching staff and reports the Bears were shopping him didn’t help matters.
But Jenkins has found new life at right guard, a position he started playing just last week. While Jenkins is making the transition from tackle to guard, his talent is undeniable. And one person who’s excited for his potential is Montgomery.
“I’m super excited for Tev to prove everybody wrong,” he said.
Jenkins made his debut at right guard in last Thursday’s preseason game, where head coach Matt Eberflus praised his performance.
“He did a good job in the game; he played a solid game,” Eberflus said. “You think about that for a second, coming in there for a couple of days and then starting in there and playing. We were impressed. He did a nice job. Now he’s got to continue to grow at the position. Like everybody else on the team, he’s got a lot to work on. But he had a good first outing in there.”
Jenkins has remained with the first-team at right guard since last week, which is an indication that he’s a presumed frontrunner a few weeks before the start of the regular season.
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