Chicago Bears: What should the Bears do with Teven Jenkins?

The Chicago Bears‘ offensive line has gradually come on lately, with the offensive tackles being the highlight of the group. Rookie fifth-round draft pick Larry Borom has been solid, putting together a pair of good showings against a couple of the league’s top pass rushers (Nick Bosa and T.J. Watt).

Borom has been somewhat of a surprise as most felt that he was a developmental project. General Manager Ryan Pace and his scouting department had 2nd and 3rd round grades on Borom, so to get him in the 5th round is looking like a steal for Pace.

This is after the Bears invested a few drafts picks in that same draft to move up for Teven Jenkins in the 2nd round. When it was discovered, the Jenkins had to have back surgery, the Bears quickly address the position by signing former Pro Bowl and future Hall of Fame tackle Jason Peters.

Peters has been the Bears’ best offensive linemen this year arguably. The 39-year-old has been a godsend for this Bears offensive line and rookie quarterback Justin Fields.

While Peters continues to play his part in stabilizing the left side of that line, The Bears got good news as Jenkins returned to practice.

The Chicago Bears will have a tough decision to make as far as what to do at left tackle.

While not officially off injured reserve, Jenkins will have a 21-day practice window to show that he can be removed from I.R. and activated on game day. There is also a possibility that the Bears can let him practice but keep him on I.R. the rest of the season.

The burning question is what direction the team goes if/when Jenkins is fully back? Do they keep rolling with the veteran left tackle or shift their attention to the future? The best approach the Bears coach can use is to keep Peters in the lineup throughout Jenkins’s 21-day window. Have Jenkins as primary your swing tackle for the first couple of games he is back.

For the final four games of the season, it should be established if the Bears are one of the top teams in the hunt for the playoffs. If that is not the case, then you thank the veteran LT for his services and move your second-round pick that you invested a lot in, into the lineup for those final four games.

It would be ridiculous to not play Jenkins especially if he is showing in practice that he is more than capable of stepping in and performing well. Bears must build toward the future and Peters at 40 years old is not part of theirs.