Bears minicamp: Teven Jenkins starts with the backups as Braxton Jones fills in

For much of the recent spring, the Bears’ 2021 second-round pick, Teven Jenkins, was not working with Chicago’s starters. The assumption was that the new regime led by GM Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus saw what they had available across the board. No harm, no foul.

To start the Bears’ mandatory minicamp, Jenkins’ status has not changed. On Tuesday, he wasn’t part of Chicago’s starting offensive line again, reports The Athletic’s, Adam Jahns. Now might be the time to develop some measure of concern.

This isn’t meant as a slight to Braxton Jones and Larry Borom — two players the Bears clearly like on some level — but Jenkins, as a second-round pick, is supposed to be Chicago’s frontline cornerstone. While it’s still mid-June and all of these practices are in shorts (where a mauler like Jenkins would not thrive), he should have a spot amongst their five best offensive linemen ... anywhere.

According to Eberflus, as Jenkins’ status continues to develop, all combinations and set positions are possible as the Bears figure out their offensive line. That said, per Jahns, Chicago has yet to play Jenkins or Borom inside at guard:

By no means should anyone panic about Jenkins or the Bears’ offensive line before the calendar even (officially) turns to summer. That said, it’s fascinating that a 2022 fifth-round pick from an FCS school like Jones is currently a starter and the 2021 second-round pick from a major DI school isn’t.