The 2024 season is already off to a bit of a different start for Chicago Bears guard Teven Jenkins.
A second-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Jenkins is in a contract year. He has also dealt with injuries in his career, appearing in 31 of a possible 51 games with 24 starts. However, Jenkins is poised to start the season opener for the second time in his career.
Bears? Teven Jenkins Embracing Opportunity in Season Opener
Teven Jenkins Looking to Move Past ?Rough Start? to Career
?It means a lot to me because I want to be on the field all the time,? Jenkins told Clocker Sports ahead of Thursday?s practice. ?It’s been a rough start in this past couple years because all these injuries, so it’s really good on the mental side that I truly get to play the first game of the year and continue to help stuff throughout the whole 17 games.?
A back issue and the subsequent surgery to address it kept him out of the opener through Week 12 as a rookie.
Jenkins missed the 2023 season opener. He started the campaign on injured reserve with a calf injury that cost him the first four games. When he has been on the field, Jenkins has been one of if not the best offensive linemen on the team.
His improved availability is no accident.
Jenkins spoke during training camp about making changes to his diet in an effort to stay on the field. He is seeing the benefits of those efforts.
?It’s starting to show,? Jenkins said. ?It’s paying off a little bit for me. And it’s a lot of things of like monotonous stuff that I have to go through that ? it can get very mundane. And you want to get out of your routine because it gets boring. But once you see it actually start working, it starts making you feel a lot better about what you’re doing and make sure that it actually pays off for you in the long run.?
Being on the field has let Jenkins continue developing chemistry with left tackle Braxton Jones ? who also battled injuries in 2023 after appearing in all 17 games as a rookie in 2022 ? and build chemistry with new center Coleman Shelton.
Jenkins has seen the benefits of that in camp and the preseason too.
[It helps] a lot because those banked reps that we get during practice, they translate to the games,? Jenkins said. ?Being able to be available out there for them guys and just be there, just be a good teammate, and get the reps in with them.?
Shelton signed with the Bears in free agency after five seasons and a Super Bowl victory with the Los Angeles Rams. He was highly complimentary of Jenkins.
?Tev’s a great player,? Shelton told Clocker Sports on Thursday. ?He’s a baller. He’s fun to play next to, he’s super smart. So it’s nice to have someone on the line of scrimmage who can communicate with me. It’s always nice having more voices up there. The communication?s clear, and you just going to go out and be aggressive and be a great player to play next to him.?
Despite the clear incentive, Jenkins says his contract was not the biggest motivation to change.
?It was a big factor,? Jenkins said. ?But it wasn?t the most glaring factor for me because I want to play this game for a long time and the necessary changes that I need to do for myself and my body to keep playing at the older age is something I wanted to do. So it’s good right now because, of course, it’s the glaring thing of the contract. But in long-term things, this is something I need to do for when I’m playing around 30 or 31, 32, whatever.?
Bears Anticipating Challenge From ?Powerful? Jeffery Simmons
Titans defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons was open about wanting to spoil the hype around the Bears in the opener during an appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show” this offseason. He noted that Caleb Williams? presence as the No. 1 pick of the 2024 NFL Draft has Chicago as media darlings.
Jenkins and Shelon have plenty of respect for Simmons, a two-time Pro Bowler and AP All-Pro selection.
?Powerful dude. A lot of aggression. He’s going to be very active in run, in pass,? Jenkins said. ?I heard he’s a little bit of a trash talker. So you got to get ready for that too, not trying to let him get inside your head.?
Simmons recorded 5.5 sacks in 2023 and has 21.5 sacks over the past three seasons.
?Obviously, he’s a great player, and he’s been around this league for a while, and he’s been a good player for a while,? Shelton said. ?We got to trust our rules and go trust our ball, and just play our technique, and just get after it. And just kind of be together and work through the week to get ready for it.?
As for Simmons? comments on Caleb Williams? ?painted nails,? Jenkins was not concerned.
?Regardless, my job on Sunday is just to protect him [Williams],? Jenkins said. ?That?s all I know. If they have personal beef, it ain’t on me. My only thing is, I do my job, protect him.?
Bears Practice Notes
Montez Sweat is also embracing a different type of start to his season. Sweat is secure in his locale with a four-year, $98 million contract to show for it. Sweat said during training camp that it was like being thrown into the fire when he first arrived. He can play freer now.
?I’m a lot more comfortable than I definitely was last year coming in,? Sweat told Clocker Sports during his media availability on Thursday. ?Just knowing the defense and knowing where I can play in different positions across the line and all that type of stuff. So yes, it’s a lot more comfortable.?
Sweat made his first Pro Bowl in 2023, recording a career-high 12.5 sacks.
He logged 6.0 of those in nine games with the Bears. That is a potentially encouraging sign entering his first full season with the team.
The Bears added DeMarcus Walker and Marcedes Lewis to the injury report on Thursday. But the good news is that Lewis was the only DNP, and his absence was not injury-related. The Bears otherwise had every available player at least limited in the session.
Defensive coordinator Eric Washington was clear about what he expects from the defense.
?We want to play fast, we want to be violent, and if we pressure, that needs to hit. If we don’t, it needs to feel like pressure,? Washington said.