Cubs News: The Dilemma of Teven Jenkins |
Offensive lineman Teven Jenkins is set to become an unrestricted free agent (UFA) in a few months. He was arguably Chicago’s best offensive lineman this season, which is not much of a statement given how the unit played as a whole. However, Jenkins keeps getting injured.
So, is it worth it to keep Jenkins? Looking first at the downside, Jenkins has a tendency to get injured. In each of his four seasons in the league, Jenkins has missed multiple games. In his rookie season, a back injury kept him out for most of the year. In his second season in 2022, he only played 13 games but was limited to 12 games in 2023. This past season, in 2024, Jenkins played in the most games of his career, with 14. However, he frequently had to leave games early due to injury and thus only played 78 percent of the offensive snaps in those 14 games. Cohesion is a critical component of the offensive line. Consistency on the offensive line leads to cohesion among its members, which allows the unit to play better overall. Jenkins’ injury history could potentially jeopardize the offensive line’s ability to be consistent and create cohesion. But, when you get rid of a starter, you have to replace that starter. This is why it would be best for Chicago to keep Jenkins - there is no one to replace him with. The free agent class for guards is weak. Many of the prospects are older than Jenkins and coming off worse seasons. Injuries have been a problem for numerous free-agent prospects at the guard position. Perhaps the best free agent option for a guard is Pro Bowl Trey Smith, who is currently with the Kansas City Chiefs. However, he was diagnosed with blood clots in his lungs, which makes his health a bigger question mark than Jenkins’. Since the free agent market is poor, attention would shift to picking up a guard in the NFL Draft. This is not a good option for Chicago either because the draft class for guards this year is not very strong. There are far more tackles available in this draft than guards, and the Bears could use a new tackle more than a new guard. With the No. 10 overall pick in the NFL Draft, it would be better for the Bears to draft one of the tackles to help revamp this offensive line unit. Chicago could always look to pick up a player later in the draft who could be a project, similar to what they did with Kiran Amegadjie last season. The Bears have enough picks to do that as they have eight total picks in the NFL Draft, including four-day three picks. However, a player acquired on day three is not expected to become an immediate starter and, thus, is not someone who would replace Jenkins. Rather, this would be a depth piece that the Bears also need because, as this season showed with the numerous offensive line injuries, they need depth. Therefore, the Bears should keep Jenkins. While the injuries are a concern, there is no player out there with less of an injury concern and more talent than him. Furthermore, this is not a problem that can be addressed in the draft, and the first-round pick would be better used with a tackle than a guard.
