Chicago Bears: Teven Jenkins news makes Matt Nagy a liar

Just four days ago, everything seemed fine. The Chicago Bears had defeated the Miami Dolphins in their preseason opener and rookie Justin Fields looked superb.

Following the game, some big news broke almost immediately after the players headed to the locker room. Chicago had agreed to terms with veteran offensive tackle Jason Peters, and it was just in time for reporters to ask head coach Matt Nagy about the move.

A signing of this magnitude had to mean something big. Right off the bat, Nagy was asked whether or not the Peters signing had anything to do with the health of rookie Teven Jenkins.

Nagy was pretty quick to downplay the question, to no one’s surprise.

Attempting to paint a rosy picture, Nagy’s answer seemed a little off. There probably wasn’t a soul in the room who believed those words.

”It doesn’t have anything to do with Teven,” Nagy told the media Saturday night.

Wednesday, the truth was revealed. Jenkins, the man Ryan Pace traded up to draft whilst knowing he was already dealing with a back issue, is now officially undergoing back surgery. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune first reported the news via Twitter.

After the news broke, Nagy told reporters that the goal is to get Jenkins “back this season.”

Back this season? As in, we could see Jenkins play anywhere from half the year to just a couple of games?

Nagy is completely throwing everyone for a loop, here. He’s historically been a guy who beats around the bush and doesn’t directly answer questions, but this is a new low.

Just days ago, Nagy said the Peters signing had nothing to do with Jenkins’ health and that he’s coming in to compete for the starting left tackle position. If Jenkins was trending towards surgery, who else was Peters going to compete with? Assuming Peters is healthy, there’s zero competition between he and anyone else on this depth chart.

The fact that Nagy didn’t just directly answer the question on Saturday proves what many fans already think: he cannot be trusted.

There is such thing as “coach speak,” but this goes far beyond anything Nagy has said in the past. Even the quarterback conversations Nagy has had over the years have been more honest than this answer about Jenkins, and that’s saying a lot.

The team knew about Jenkins’ lumbar issue before they drafted him. This is ultimately on Pace. But, if Jenkins already had a pre-existing back injury, why would Nagy even hint that this Peters signing wasn’t about Jenkins? It seems like a bold-faced lie. That’s what it seems like.

They might have hit a home run with Justin Fields, but this Jenkins situation has proved yet again that not only can Ryan Pace not be trusted, but neither can Nagy.