Bears offensive lineman Teven Jenkins out indefinitely with back injury

Bears second-round pick Teven Jenkins is out indefinitely, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, after undergoing back surgery earlier Wednesday morning.

“I spoke to coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace today,” Rappaport said, continuing, “They broke down, essentially, what happened. We knew, everyone knew that Teven Jenkins had some back issues in college. He came here to Chicago after they drafted him and he started having a little bit of a different issue.”

Rappaport said the “issue” was a bit of a novel injury to Jenkins, making surgery the best available option. He underwent successful surgery on Wednesday, sidelining him indefinitely — though the exact timeline is unclear, Rappaport said it will be “several months,” but “there is a chance [for Jenkins’ return] at some point this season.”

In the event that he is unable to return all season, the Bears will likely utilize Jason Peters, a 39-year-old tackle who recently signed a one-year, $1.075 million contract with the Bears.

Jenkins, a left tackle and product of Oklahoma State, had the back procedure to fix an injury that may not have been familiar from his college days, but one that had been nagging for the past couple of weeks. He has been sidelined since early August, and on Aug. 4, Bears head coach Matt Nagy actually uttered some encouraging words regarding Jenkins’ status.

“I would say it’s trending in the right direction, which is good,” Nagy said. “All I can say is I feel like the arrow is—every day—getting a little bit better.”

At that time, Nagy said it was only a matter of time until trainer Andre Tucker gives him the thumbs up to let Jenkins take a few reps, whether at half-speed or better. However, that plan came to a sudden halt on Wednesday, as Rapoport put to rest any possibility that Jenkins returns soon.

Jenkins was an accomplished lineman at Oklahoma State, starting every game he played in his sophomore, junior and senior seasons. He seemed to get better with age; in 2020, his senior year, Jenkins was one of the best offensive linemen in the Big 12, and received first-team All-Big 12 honors to support it. Though he had back issues in his senior season, limiting him to just seven games, he also displayed versatility on the offensive line. When teammates were sidelined with injuries, personnel was shuffled and Jenkins ended up playing right tackle — where he still saw success.