2023 NFL Breakouts: Second and third-year offensive players ready to explode ft. Desmond Ridder, George Pickens and more

#8, Teven Jenkins, Chicago Bears (Interior O-line)

Teven Jenkins - Kansas City Chiefs v Chicago Bears

After a redshirt year as a fairly lowly-regarded three-star recruit at Oklahoma State, Jenkins saw plenty of action as a backup in his debut campaign, before starting all 32 games, with 25 of those at right tackle and seven on the left edge.

After making the move up for Justin Fields in the first round, Bears GM Ryan Poles also traded up 39th overall in order to pair his new QB up with a potential franchise left tackle. Unfortunately, his first year in the NFL turned out to be an absolute catastrophe.

It didn’t even take for the season to roll around, as Jenkins missed all of training camp with a back injury, which he ultimately had surgery on in the middle of August, placing him on IR until week 14. Finally, in the lineup, he was a disappointment on the blindside and trade speculations already began to arise during that offseason.

However, being able to take part in offseason activities ahead of year two and making a position switch, he managed to turn things around in a major way. His PFF grade already saw a massive improvement, from 47.5 in 2021, when he spent 157 snaps at left tackle, up to 80.0 last year, starting all but two of 13 games at right guard.

He was responsible for the same amount of sacks (two), despite playing nearly four times as many snaps, and didn’t allow more than two pressures in a single contest (12 total). Also key for him – he went from seven flags thrown against him across 160 total snaps in 2021 to just two on nearly 600 in his follow-up campaign.

Watching Jenkins in the run game, my lasting image was him getting the train rolling so to speak on zone runs when he helped combo on the nose tackle from the side, regularly bumping that guy over to the play-side A-gap, as he was trying to stay square.

Plus, then he’d peel back on a linebacker in pursuit once they had widened that lane for the back to cut it up behind, where he built up enough thump off a couple of steps to stand up and wall them off. He’s definitely capable of scoop-blocking 2i-techniques on the backside of wide zone or toss plays.

At the same time, we see him get to the outside pec of B-gap defenders on the front side of those perimeter-oriented plays and he can get on his horse to hunt linebackers lined up shaded outside of him when they run stretch to the weak side.

He may not be able to actually pin them due to the leverage advantage towards the sideline, but typically gets them to chase hard that way and then just keeps riding them that way for the back to slice it up behind him. On gap schemes, such as duo or simple dive plays, he can stand up and hold in place three-techniques away from the action.

When he’s closer to the point of attack, he displays a definite understanding of how to approach combos/double-teams, when to stay firm with his teammates, using the appropriate timing to peel off or if a solid bump is enough and he can snatch up the linebacker before shooting the lane. And he opens up freeways behind him kicking out edge defenders, to where the tackle on GT counter actually has to worry about being side-stepped by the linebacker with all space as he wraps around.

The Bears also used their tight ends to some degree to kick out off short motion and had Jenkins coming around behind those guys, where he would put linebackers on skates at times.

A phrase Brandon Thorn of Trench Warfare used when he broke down Jenkins coming out of Oklahoma State was “he puts defenders in a cage.” And while he had some issues in limited time with more vertical pass-sets against NFL speed off the edge, framing rushers accordingly at tackle, you saw that show up inside.

During the early phases of the rush, he will engage in hand-combat to slap away or lift up the wrists of defenders, then bring those guys in close and fit his hands inside their chest, with the elbows tight to his torso.

For being 6’6”, Jenkins has fairly short arms at 33 and ½ inches, but he makes up for it with varied, alternate hand usage and changing up his pass sets. He jumps guys at times to lock them up early, throw in some early stabs to force a reaction or actually gives ground when he’s not as worried about power.

When the Bears were in big-on-big protection to his side and Jenkins was responsible for the three-technique, once he realized that guy sticking his foot in the ground to loop inside, his eyes and hands immediately transition that way, in order to take over the A-gap rusher.

If they slid to his side and they dropped out a mugged-up backer, he would quickly attach to the nose and watch out for potential counters by the edge rusher. Jenkins is looking for work when he’s unoccupied in pass-pro generally and he delivers some disgusting rib shots, particularly as edge defenders try to jump inside late.

Plus, with the way he would ride guys down the line selling zone action, you see the defense have to flow aggressively and guys he’s engaged with get their eyes trapped inside his frame, giving Justin Fields plenty of space rolling or booting the other way.

Overall, I’d say Jenkins ends up on the turf more than you’d like to see. In the run game, it happens at times when he crosses over with the back-side foot trying to gain ground horizontally and putting himself in unstable positions. Meanwhile, in pass-pro I’d say he tends to get his weight shifted a little too far onto his heels, particularly on slide-protections, where he gives some ground vertically as well and has to wait with first contact.

He’s really good at recovering even if rushers establish first meaningful contact with their hands, but not allowing vertical displacement in the first place will be key for him. To my eyes, he did get away with a few more holds, where he generally plays on the fringe of what’s allowed and could see more flags thrown against him, if referee crews lock in on that, but for now, he takes advantage of “cheating” where it’s not seen and understands when he has to let go.

Jenkins isn’t the most light-footed athlete in space, to where he just looks a bit uncomfortable getting out in front on screen passes, being very timid in that regard when they’re designed to his side. Going the other way, where he can more so just chase instead of having to break down and secure guys in the open field, he’s a lot better.

The improvement Jenkins showed with a healthy back and learning a new position in year two was remarkable to watch. He went from more so a speed bump as a rookie, who didn’t seem comfortable when he did finally hit the field, to an above-average guard in 2022, whose presence in the run game especially was felt by opponents.

I believe not only can he take another step now that he’s settled in that spot, but with free agent Nate Davis from the Tennessee Titans and tenth overall pick Darnell Wright from the Tennessee Volunteers, this offensive line could go from one of the weaker units across the NFL to flirting with the top-ten.

Justin Fields probably taking another step now that he’s not running for his life with more weapons around him to spread the field, this offense could finally be fun to watch again – after Fields at least provided highlights as a one-man show last year.

I can’t wait to watch Jenkins obliterate some poor dime backer on third down this season, when they run QB counter against a softbox look, because they have the pass-catching options to make opponents respect their 11 personnel package.

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