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Is Teven Jenkins OK? Chicago Bears rookie OT to undergo surgery, fans say 'doesn't look good'

Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy announced that Teven Jenkins will have back surgery and 'the goal is to get him back this season'

Chicago Bears rookie OT Teven Jenkins missed every practice of training camp with a back injury. Turns out, Jenkins is about to undergo back surgery soon. Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy announced on Wednesday, August 18 that Jenkins will have back surgery and "the goal is to get him back this season". 

If the reports are to be believed, Bears tried treatments hoping to avoid surgery with Jenkins, but there was no avoiding it. Coach Nagy said it “sounds very, very positive” and explained once surgery happens “things should be fixed and pretty good.” This could be a major blow to the team that traded up to draft Jenkins No 39 overall planning to play him left tackle.

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Speaking extensively on the matter, coach Matt Nagy said, "This is something — we were aware of (Teven's) back issues in college, but these are symptoms that are new. So this is something we’re dealing with. He’s at a point right now where we were trying different things to see if we could stay away from this. When you get to the word ‘surgery,’ obviously everyone gets concerned, you don’t want to hear that. But the goal is to get him back this year. It’s hard to put and say everything’s 100%,” he said, “but it sounds like once this happens and you get the surgery, that things should be fixed and pretty good. That’s the good part in this whole thing."  

On the first day of training camp practice, coach Nagy noted that Jenkins had "back tightness". Jenkins did not begin training camp but instead, rehabbed the injury while his teammates trained. However, he was not seen doing rehab work on Monday, August 16. People reacted to the news on Twitter. While some 'wished him luck' some said it was a 'huge blow to the Chicago Bears'.

'Teven Jenkins injury sucks'

Fans took to Twitter and reacted to the news of Teven Jenkins undergoing back surgery. One user wrote, "I just hope Teven Jenkins is in a great mindset! & staying positive! It’s a long Season Dawg! Keep Your Head Up! #Bears" Another said, "I still have faith in Teven Jenkins long-term because he’s still young and was really good in college. The #Bears could be in a tough spot at OT next offseason, though. Ifedi will be a free agent, and Jenkins likely won’t have played in 2 years. They’ll be in need of an upgrade." One tweet read, "The Teven Jenkins injury sucks, man. Just shows that a team can destroy the draft but injury luck is a part of the puzzle, unfortunately." Another user tweeted, "I loved the Teven Jenkins pick, but I’m not an NFL team with access to each player’s medical status. The #Bears knew about Jenkins’ back problems and traded up for him in the second round. Now he’s getting surgery. That’s not a good look."