Jenkins sidelined with ‘back tightness’
The first week of training camp at Halas Hall will come to a close without the team’s second-round draft pick and projected starting left tackle Teven Jenkins taking the field.
Coach Matt Nagy said Saturday morning that Jenkins will remain sidelined with what the team described as back tightness for practice. The Bears are off Sunday before returning to work Monday, and the hope is Jenkins will be on the field soon.
None of the practices to this point has been in full pads, and provided Jenkins returns soon, he should not be far behind teammates. The Bears will hold their first practice in full pads Tuesday when they shift to Soldier Field for the day.
The team has opted to move slowly with Jenkins, who apparently had his back tighten up a week ago when rookies reported early for camp. The day off Sunday provides another opportunity for rest.
“The No. 1 thing when you look at all of this for Teven is that we want to be able to see what he can do with pads on,” Nagy said Friday.
“We understand that. The only way to do that is to be available and be out at practice. But at the same point and time as we are going through this back issue that he is having we want to makes sure we are taking care of it the right way by listening to him, listening to our doctors and our trainers and just taking it day by day.”
With Jenkins sidelined, the Bears have been using Elijah Wilkinson at left tackle with the starters. Wilkinson projected as a swing tackle when he was signed in free agency, and his experience with the Denver Broncos was almost exclusively at right tackle.
Complicating matters is the fact starting right tackle Germain Ifedi remains on the physically unable to perform list, where he landed after suffering a hip flexor during the conditioning test Wednesday. The Bears have rotated between rookie fifthround pick Larry Borom and Lachavious Simmons, a seventh-round pick a year ago who did not see any game action in Year 1. While the Bears have depth and experience on the interior, they’re going to be tested at tackle.
The offensive line had big questions entering camp and will have more if Jenkins misses more time.
Nagy downplayed the severity of the injury to Ifedi, who should be able to slide right in when he’s cleared based on his experience. But the Bears need to get Jenkins rolling if he’s going to be not only the left
tackle of the future but the player who can handle the job of protecting the quarterback’s blind side at the beginning of the season.
“I know Teven,” Nagy said. “Trust me, he wants
to be out there. But we have to control him from himself and that is what we are going to do here as we go through training camp. But obviously the sooner the better.”