After playing the 2022 season at the right guard position, Bears' guard Teven Jenkins will make the move to the left side of the offensive line in 2023.
The Chicago Bears are very clearly revamping their offensive line. One season ago, they were amongst the worst groups in the NFL. Starting quarterback Justin Fields was running for his life most of the time due to the amount of pressure that consistently broke through his protection. Although Braxton Jones was expected to return as the starting left tackle this season, there would inevitably be some shuffling on the line.
The team began addressing the need by adding guard Nate Davis from the Tennessee Titans. The 6-foot-3 monster signed a three-year, $30 million deal in the opening days of free agency. Davis was primarily a right guard in his time with the Titans, leading to early reports that 2022's right guard, Teven Jenkins, could be moving on the line. Per Jenkins' confirmation, that is indeed the case. The Oklahoma State product is expected to play left guard in 2023.
While Jenkins is set to move to the left guard spot, it begs the question regarding Cody Whitehair's future. Whitehair is by far the highest paid offensive lineman on the Bears and he could be a post-June 1 cut candidate. However, that is likely dependent on what happens in the upcoming NFL Draft at the end of April.
Throughout free agency, the Bears addressed a number of positions. However, in that process, they under-improved the trenches on both sides of the ball. Due to a considerable amount of depth at those position in the Draft, it would be safe to assume the Bears expect to use multiple draft picks to improve in those areas. Bears GM Ryan Poles won't be able to fix every hole in one offseason, but the pieces are falling into place for the Bears in 2023.
As it stands, the starting line would look something like the following:
There are a slew of names that the Bears might target. If Whitehair is indeed on his way out, names such as John Michael Schmitz at center and Paris Johnson Jr. at tackle could be immediate starters in 2023.
However, the line is still very much in flux. The addition of Jenkins' move on the line starts adding suspense to what the 2023 final product will look like. That said, it is safe to assume it will still be a better unit than they were one season ago.
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