Not many players emerged from the 3-14 Bears debacle of 2022 with a label of pleasant surprise.
Considering where guard Teven Jenkins started, it might be more appropriate to call him a huge surprise. Switching from tackle to guard and putting his back issues of last year behind was no simple trick, but he's hardly certain of being back next year.
"Overall I am very happy about how I played, because considering this is my first year at the position ever and the way I did impress myself and exceeded my own expectations."
Jenkins is realistic, however,
"We have these meetings where our coaches see how they viewed me and personally I go back to see how I viewed myself," Jenkins said. "Overall, there are a lot of things I need to improve on. I did a few good things, but I feel like there's more things I need to improve on than I did good."
It's a subjective thing.
Pro Football Focus sure liked what they saw. The analytics website graded Jenkins third-best guard in the game and third-best run blocker at guard.
The problem is Jenkins had only 576 plays and it's here where he might be concerned as the Bears go into an offseason when they have the capability of replacing numerous linemen on both sides of the football.
A player who was rumored to be on the verge of being traded in training camp but then delivered a solid season still is worried about whether he has secured his spot for next year.
"We have a lot of cap space and a lot of opportunities in this draft, so I really don't know how it's gonna go," Jenkins said. "I don't ever wanna be the person that says, 'yeah, I have a spot.'
"I always want to stay hungry and feel like I still have to chase my job even if I have it secured."
One reason Jenkins would be uncertain is his health and those 576 plays. He came back from the scary neck injury he suffered quickly, then had to leave the Detroit game and miss the rest of the season after aggravating it.
"I'm disappointed in myself a little bit because I wanted to finish the season with my brothers this year, especially missing how many games I did last year (2021) with my back surgery," Jenkins said. "Coming back this year and getting injured again, it's not something I want to deal with.
'But I feel like in a couple weeks I'll get over it because I've got to get back to work and start work for next year."
He's going to start working to strengthen his neck and core.
"I can start doing manual neck machines basically to strength my neck and I'm always going to go back to Pilates and keep on doing that, keeping my core strong so I don’t have to worry about my back at all," Jenkins said.
It doesn't seem like a chronic issue, even though Jenkins had to have back surgery in 2021 and now had the neck injury.
"The doctors told me this is a short thing," Jenkins said. "It's not anything that carries over for a long time. Really, it's just doing neck machine, manually neck, stuff to strengthen the muscles. "Basically it's how my core was with my back—one thing to strengthen will loosen up or not take as much attention away from one spot."
Besides the health issue, Jenkins gives an honest appraisal of his own play.
"I'm a guy who flashes a lot," Jenkins said. "I had some great plays.
"One thing I need to improve on is my consistency on the field. Like, I'll have great plays, driving somebody like 10 yards or so and the next play I might only do it for a yard or not be as great as the play before."
Considering the offensive line allowed Justin Fields to be sacked a league-high 55 times, there's one other thing for Jenkins and the entire group to address, provided he's safetly back on the roster in 2023 and not with another team.
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