Packers' Aaron Rodgers: 'Couldn't be prouder' of Elgton Jenkins

It's good for the Green Bay Packers to have Elgton Jenkins back, and that's a massive understatement. 

In fact, it's great for the Green Bay Packers to have Elgton Jenkins back. Just ask four-time MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who gave praise to Green Bay's right tackle after a 27-10 win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday Night Football.

"I couldn’t be prouder of Elgton Jenkins," he told the media earlier this week, via Matt Schneidman of The Athletic. 

The backstory here is important. Sure, Jenkins played on Sunday night and he was a big reason Green Bay's offense was able to bounce back after a Week 1 disappointment against the Minnesota Vikings. The Packers' offensive line was the catalyst behind 203 yards on the ground against the Bears, 132 (and one rushing touchdown) of which came from Aaron Jones. The Packers also kept Rodgers relatively clean, giving up just three sacks. 

The stats weren't the important story surrounding Jenkins, though. The very fact that he was in the game at all was the huge story for both Green Bay and the third-year offensive lineman. 

Until this weekend, Jenkins had been recovering from an ACL injury he suffered in Week 11 of last season. A Pro Bowler in 2020, his absence from the offensive line has been notable in more ways than one. Not only is Jenkins extremely talented, but he's also versatile. He can play every single position on the offensive line, from right tackle (which he played against the Bears), to guard, center, and even left tackle.

It's rare for an offensive lineman to play all five positions, let alone thrive at playing all five, but that's the type of star the Packers have missed with Jenkins out since November.

So yes, he didn't play perfectly against Chicago. He allowed three pressures and a sack and didn't seem all that happy with himself when recapping the game.

“Basically just rusty,” Jenkins said of his play. “I’ve got to get my technique right, get out of my stance, lock ’em up … Being out there with my teammates, OTAs, I wasn’t able to participate in camp for a while. So it felt good to be able to come out there and compete with my teammates.”

Speaking of his teammates, arguably the most important one, Rodgers, didn't see Jenkins' night as a struggle. He was just happy to see the Pro Bowler out there playing football again.

“Let me just say this about success, and I would say the same thing to these guys and have said the same thing: The definition of success isn’t always measured in stats,” Rodgers said. “And for Elgton, I thought tonight was an absolute success. I really do. He’s been out for a long time, and he’s battled in practice and he’s battled in his rehab and he went out there and played an NFL football game. That, to me, is a successful night.

“A lot of times we get caught up in a definition of success that’s never really attainable, so we live in this feedback loop of negative self-talk and self-criticism that I don’t think is good for a healthy ego or good for our own confidence. What I know the guys were telling him and what I feel about him is that tonight was a huge success for Elgton. And I couldn’t be prouder of Elgton Jenkins.”

The Packers drafted Jenkins in the second round (pick 44) of the 2019 NFL Draft. He's widely been considered one of the best offensive linemen in the NFL in a very short time, so it will be interesting to see if he regains his all-world form over the next few weeks.