Bears center Mustipher: Mentality will take Jenkins a long way
Sam Mustipher saw a text message pop up on his phone Tuesday from Teven Jenkins.
The rookie offensive tackle noticed something their next opponent, the Minnesota Vikings, was doing on film. He made sure his center knew about it.
"If you just get a bunch of guys like that who are looking - 'How can I help Sam out? I don't know if you saw this on film, but here it is' - that's fine," Mustipher said. "I appreciate that. I think it speaks volumes to who he is."
Thirty minutes after the first text, Mustipher saw another pop up on his phone. Jenkins, 23, has no lack of observations.
"Things like that, that shows his mindset," Mustipher said. "I have to get better. I have to get better for the unit."
Jenkins struggled in his first reps with the Bears' offense during Sunday's loss to the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Referees called 4 penalties against him, and he allowed a pass rusher to strip sack quarterback Justin Fields for a game-changing turnover.
The rookie had been out for much of the season due to a back injury, which required surgery in August. He missed all of training camp and only returned to practice on Nov. 15.
Jenkins returned to the active roster ahead of the Dec. 5 game against the Arizona Cardinals. He played just two snaps in that game, both with the field goal unit. Then on Sunday, Jenkins' second game back, starting left tackle Jason Peters injured his ankle in the first half.
Jenkins, a 2021 second-round pick (39th overall), entered the game at left tackle. He hadn't played in a game in more than a year.
That's not an ideal situation, and it wasn't Jenkins' fault. Still, it's hard to tell that to a 23-year-old trying to make a good first impression.
"When you're a part of a good group of guys who we have a belief in each other to get the job done, you never want to be the guy to let everyone down," Mustipher said. "That mentality will take Teven a long way."
In Mustipher's mind, Jenkins simply needs more live reps.
Offensive line coach Juan Castillo, speaking before the Packers game, believed Jenkins' biggest point of emphasis right now is his quick first step.
"The key is being, at the snap count, being able to get off the ball, being able to explode and get to that spot as quick as he can," Castillo said. "And that's something that Jason (Peters) is really good at, that we worked a long time ago and that he's really mastered being able to get off that football.
"So for me, that really helps my teaching to be able to have somebody I worked with before that they can see exactly how it's done."
Given that Jenkins hadn't played in a year and that he was making the leap from college to the NFL, it's not a surprise that the speed of the game might be an issue.
Mustipher was in Jenkins' shoes a year ago. He began the 2020 season on the practice squad, not knowing if he would ever see the field. Injuries on the offensive line gave him a shot.
When the Bears visited Ford Field to face the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving, Mustipher mentioned to his teammates that the last time the Bears played there (Week 1 of 2020), he had to watch from the suites. Practice-squad players don't dress on game day.
Mustipher knows how hard it is to earn a spot on the field on Sundays, and he understands how quickly it can be taken away. It's not easy when a young player is thrown into the action. Jenkins learned it the hard way.
"He has the mental fortitude and understanding that, in this league, it's the long game," Mustipher said. "You're going to have situations like that where you're thrown into the fire and you've just got to respond and react right away. Luckily for him, he's young, he's got a lot of football left in his career."