Is Eberflus sending message to Jenkins with move to second team?

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LAKE FOREST – Matt Eberflus told us to "not read into" Jaylon Johnson running with the Bears' second string during their second week of OTAs. Instead, Eberflus said it was a matter of conditioning and finding out where Johnson best fit his defense.

Sure enough, Johnson was back with the first team Wednesday at the Bears' final OTA practice. While rookie Kyler Gordon's absence could have played a role in that, Eberflus said he has been happy with Johnson, who had a good practice Wednesday, including a stellar pass breakup against Velus Jones Jr.

"We just wanted to see where he was," Eberflus said of the decision to move Johnson back with the ones. "He came in pretty good shape. I mean, he was in good shape when he came in, and we were just assessing him where he was, and he's done a great job with that. He's learning the defense.

"It takes him a while to learn the defense because he just was coming in, so that takes a couple of days to figure you, 'Hey, what is this call? What is that call?' And he's done a great job. He played really good today, I thought."

While Johnson found his way back onto the first team, another critical Bear was "demoted" Wednesday when right tackle Teven Jenkins was seen running with the twos. Rookie Braxton Jones was the first team left tackle while Larry Borom shifted from left tackle to right tackle.

Once again, Eberflus was adamant the decision to have Jenkins on the second-string Wednesday was not a big deal. Instead, the Bears are simply mixing and matching units all over the roster.

"So, we had six practices, and then we got six to seven to go at that point when we made the switch, and we wanted to change combinations," Eberflus said of putting Jones with the ones. "That's not the only thing we've changed from tackle to tackle. We've moved some receivers around. Some guys are playing X. Some guys are playing Z.

"We've adjusted some guys on the defensive line just to really find out, have a true evaluation of what's the best fit for us going into training camp. We might like the other combination. We might like this combination. We might not like either one of them. Now let's go to the one here in training camp. So, we'll figure out what the best thing is, and that's really just more information for the coaches to find out what's best for the Bears.

"We're just trying to find the best combinations of people, especially when you're looking at the offensive line. Who's the best five guys out there so we can succeed, and it creates competition when you do that, you know when you're moving guys around. Who can function at different spots, and who can really execute?"

Eberflus suggests this isn't something to spend too much time on, and he could be right.
But he could also be sending a clear message to players he knows have to play at a high level for the Bears to have any chance of success this fall.

Johnson is a budding star corner and will be the top member of what Eberflus hopes is a much-improved secondary this season.

After an injury-shortened rookie season, Jenkins moved back to right tackle this offseason, slimmed down, and believes he can be a force in the Bears' new wide-zone scheme. Given the state of the Bears' offensive line depth chart, Jenkins must be good this season, or else the offense will have little chance to gain traction. The Bears have a question mark at right guard and unproven tackles in Jenkins and Borom. If that group doesn't come together, Justin Fields will be spending more time backpedaling and picking grass out of his facemask than throwing touchdown passes.

The Bears drafted Jones in the fifth round in April. He's a developmental tackle who needs to get bigger and stronger to be a reliable NFL tackle. I have a hard time seeing Eberflus entrusting Fields' blindside to a rookie tackle. That could not only doom the Bears' season but also severely hamper the development of a talented, young quarterback.

Much like the Johnson demotion, the Jenkins move must be about sending a clear message to a player the Bears are counting on. For Johnson, he's not only an integral piece to any 2022 success but also one of the team's best players.

Eberflus has talked about building a new culture in Chicago. The best way to get a winning culture to stick is by getting your best players to buy in.

For Jenkins, the Bears need him to be able to hold up on the right side to give Fields and the offense a chance. Chicago has too many question marks on the offensive line as it stands. The Bears are counting on Jenkins.

It's June, and entirely possible that Eberflus really is just moving guys around to test things out. But the two notable "demotions" show a coach who knows which players have to be at their best for his tenure to get off to a strong start.

Johnson and Jenkins have talked about wanting to prove themselves to the new regime. The young cornerback appears to have cleared that hurdle. Now, it's Jenkins' turn.

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