Chicago Bears: Teven Jenkins trade talks will test Ryan Poles’ decision making

I’m not sure if any player has had their approval rating with the Chicago Bears fanbase fluctuate as rapidly as it has for Teven Jenkins.

A fan-favorite from the jump since his press conference last year, Teven was the guy that many thought would be Justin’s protector for years to come. However, a lingering back injury, which triggered a draft-night slide, held him out till late in the season. In his limited reps at the end of the year though, we saw a guy with all the physical tools to be an above-average starter in this league.

Now, with the back issues supposedly behind him, Teven Jenkins still isn’t practicing. Matt Eberflus remains silent as to what is going on behind the scenes, often suggesting that he is working with the trainers.

This has been a rather perplexing offseason for Teven because many fans expected him to compete and land one of the 5 starting offensive line positions. However, now it appears that another rookie from last year’s draft, Larry Borom, will assume the role many thought Teven would be filling.

With the uncertainty surrounding Teven Jenkins, it has been speculated that perhaps he’s not on the same page as the organization. This led to the emergence of reports regarding his character being of concern to the coaching staff.

According to David Kaplan, the Chicago Bears view Teven Jenkins as their most talented lineman but is also wildly immature.

The Chicago Bears have an impending decision on Teven Jenkins – one that will be the first defining move of the Ryan Poles era.

These leaks about Teven’s character were followed up by trade rumors yesterday that the Chicago Bears would be fielding calls on Teven Jenkins.

It’s worth noting that Kansas City, where Ryan Poles came from, was not high on Teven Jenkins coming out of the draft last year, as Nicholas Moreano of CHGO pointed out yesterday.

With all this in context, and considering that Poles himself is a former offensive lineman with an affinity for scouting them, it appears that Teven Jenkins’ days with the Chicago Bears are numbered. However, this decision to move on from him will become the true first big decision of the Ryan Poles era.

Even though he did already trade Khalil Mack, that was a no-brainer on the move that most new GMs would have made given the current trajectory of the Chicago Bears, and the dire need for cap space going forward.

However, to trade a tackle with off-the-charts athletic attributes and a high draft pedigree despite the Chicago Bears’ clear needs on the offensive line would be a huge decision for this regime to make. Imagine a scenario where Ryan Poles trades Teven Jenkins for a fifth-round pick, only for Teven to go somewhere else and ball out while the Bears’ offensive line struggles to protect Justin Fields.

This may be a defining move for Ryan Poles as he knows that fixing the offensive line is a critical issue for him but still could decide to move on from his most talented lineman. Even considering whatever character concerns may be there, that is on the coaches to get through to Teven if they feel he has the attributes and talent to immediately help this team.

It’s a fantasy to think that there are teams out there without a single player with character issues. Most teams have guys that have to be coached differently to get through to them and unlock their potential. Perhaps that’s Teven Jenkins, but we really won’t know whether they are right to consider moving on until we finally get to see Teven on the field.

All in all, this impending decision on Teven Jenkins will ultimately be the first critical decision for Ryan Poles and his regime. I don’t expect this decision to be met with unanimous approval across the board in the fanbase, and I do understand both the case for trading him and the case for keeping him, but what Poles decides to do and where Teven’s career goes from here will undoubtedly be forever linked.