LeGere: McDonald's departure gives Bears' Jenkins a big opportunity

Even the best plans sometimes don't work out.

The Bears were hopeful that free agency had provided them two veteran ends - Jarvis Jenkins and Ray McDonald - to anchor the new 3-4 defense they're installing.

Then McDonald was arrested and released, leaving Jenkins as the team's only veteran player with significant NFL experience as a 3-4 defensive end.

Jenkins remains eager to show that he can be a cornerstone defender for his new team after failing to do so with his original team.

As Washington's second-round draft pick (41st overall) out of Clemson, Jenkins spent his rookie season on injured reserve with a knee injury (torn ACL). But he started 33 games as a run-stopping left end in Washington's 3-4 scheme the past three years.

That's the good news. The bad news is that Jenkins did not distinguish himself enough for his original team to make any effort to re-sign him, and he was not a sought-after commodity in free agency. Sans a bidding war for the 6-foot-4, 315-pound Jenkins, the Bears offered a modest one-year deal for $825,000 that included just $80,000 in bonus money.

He was in no position to turn it down.

What the Bears' offer lacked in remuneration, though, it made up for in opportunity - and it's an opportunity that Jenkins can't wait to exploit.

"It gives me a fresh new start, a chance to come out here and show what I can do," he said. "When you're not satisfied with what you've done in the past, you (want) a fresh start."

Rather than criticize Washington for not making an effort to re-sign him, Jenkins is honest about the past.

"Nobody wants to leave their old team," he said. "By me leaving, that's (them) saying that I didn't do something right or I didn't do enough of something. That just motivates me to work harder. I want to find a home. Washington was my home, and we parted ways, but now this is my home, and I want to make the most of it.

"In life there's going to be changes, and you have to adapt to it quickly, and I'm the type of person who can do that."

Asked specifically what was lacking in his game the past three seasons, Jenkins didn't have to ponder the question for long.

"Pass rush," he blurted. "This is a pass-rush league. This is a sack league. I have to get pass rushes, I have to get sacks, I have to affect the quarterback; anything to disrupt the offense. That's one thing I'm going to work on and one thing I'm going to get better at."

There's plenty of room for improvement. Jenkins has just 2 career sacks. But, having recently celebrated his 27th birthday, he's confident his best football is ahead of him.

"I'm on Year Five, but it feels like Year Two or Three to me," he said. "I've got a lot of football left."

He's confident that will be enough to land him a starting spot in the new defense.

"In my mind, I'm motivated to be a starter," he said, "and that's what I'm going to work toward."

Bears coach John Fox and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio need players like Jenkins up front to step up soon for the transition to the 3-4 to pay dividends this season.

"The three down linemen to me are the heart and soul of the defense," Fangio said. "If they're getting pushed around, it doesn't matter what (defense) you're in, we're in trouble."

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