NFL Training Camp has officially started back, and with that all kinds of rumors and stories have already started. One of the more recent rumors is that the Bears are already looking to move on from the second year offensive tackle who they drafted from Oklahoma State in 2021. As of now, there are no rumors of teams who have been in contact with the Bears. However, there is one team that should absolutely be in on the former second round pick, Teven Jenkins: the Atlanta Falcons.
Falcons Offensive Line Woes
The Falcons offensive line was ranked 27th by PFF after the 2021 season and could benefit from potential reinforcements along the offensive line. One of the weakest aspects of the offensive line for the Falcons is right tackle, where fourth-year veteran and former first round pick Kaleb McGary has yet to establish himself as anything more than a stop-gap solution with the Falcons declining McGary’s fifth-year option.
To add fuel to the fire, McGary’s PFF grade was a 62.8 in 2021 while giving up 9 sacks over 986 snaps played. McGary graded out with a 50.6 PFF grade in the pass blocking category which was below average. However, he scored a 72.2 PFF grade in the run blocking category, which adds a little worth.
Teven Jenkins Could Help the Falcons…Eventually
On the other side, Teven Jenkins was a fan favorite of many in the NFL draft community for the 2021 draft, but has struggled to live up to the hype that he had. His rookie season was hampered heavily by a back injury that included a surgery which caused him to miss most of his rookie season. Even when the rookie could get on the field, the Bears chose to play him at left tackle as opposed to his normal right tackle position.
Jenkins did not fair much better than McGary in terms of PFF grades with Jenkins scoring a 47.5 during his limited 160 snaps played, with 2 sacks allowed. Which is much worse than McGary, but one thing that impacts Jenkins market is that he would be under team control for a longer period of time, with more potential to improve and build on those traits that teams loved when he was a prospect.
Will a Trade Happen?
Between the Falcons already showing this off-season that they aren’t afraid to pickup a reclamation project — or two — with the additions of Bryan Edwards and Rashaan Evans from Las Vegas and Tennessee; and the Bears-to-Falcons pipeline running strong this offseason with multiple additions from Chicago coming to Atlanta, it almost feels like a move that will happen. Terry Fontenot and Arthur Smith are attempting to reload the Falcons roster while maintaining the ability to stay competitive. Teven Jenkins could be a good step in that direction for the Falcons.
What do you think Falcons fans? Should the dirty birds attempt to trade for the Bears potential draft bust? Let us know @falcons_atb on Twitter!