Teven Jenkins, Offensive Lineman
This is certainly a controversial selection. Jenkins has played well when he was on the field. That is the problem, though. He cannot seem to stay on the field consistently. Since the Chicago Bears drafted him in 2021, he missed a total of 20 games. Additionally, he left a few more games he started.
It does not matter how great Jenkins plays. If he spends too much time on injured reserve and not enough time on the field, he is not helping the team. Again, the prevailing theme of the Chicago Bears is playoffs or bust. They need players they can depend on to play and contribute.
Poles traded for Ryan Bates and signed Coleman Shelton. Shelton appears to be the starting center. While Bates has played center, he lost the starting center job two seasons ago. He has played guard since. If Jenkins has to deal with injuries again, Bates is good enough to step up in his place.
Additionally, Jenkins is in the final year of his rookie contract. With all the injuries he’s sustained, would he be a part of the Chicago Bears’ future? Would Poles take the risk and sign him to a long-term, expensive deal? He could trade Jenkins and pick up a draft pick.
Yes, Jenkins is popular and good when he plays. However, we see with Poles that he has no trouble parting ways with players if he feels it helps the team. He traded the wildly popular Khalil Mack in 2022. In return, he picked up draft picks who ended up being safeties Jaquan Brisker and Elijah Hicks, as well as punter Trenton Gill.
Brisker has shown to be a valuable starter while Hicks is a dependable backup. Gill struggled with his punts so the Bears replaced him with fourth-round pick in this year’s draft, Tory Taylor.
More importantly, he received salary cap relief. That allowed him to sign key free agents and still have enough money to trade the number one pick in the 2023 draft and the contract for D.J. Moore. Making that deal gave the Bears the number one pick in this year’s draft, which ended up being Williams.
That’s not to say that trading Jenkins will result in a similar situation. He is on a rookie deal so the salary cap increase would be minimal. However, if trading Jenkins brings a good draft pick, Poles would certainly consider it. His priority is to make the Chicago Bears a consistent playoff contender. Picking up future draft picks helps do that.
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