Chicago Bears’ Teven Jenkins ready to prove himself

Chicago Bears offensive tackle Teven Jenkins isn’t worried about his back injury that required surgery and forced him to miss the first 11 games of his rookie season.

Thanks to a new offseason workout routine, Jenkins is feeling 100 percent and is encouraging others to give Pilates a try.

“I have no thought about my back,” Jenkins said during his press conference on Friday. “I trust everything that goes into it, especially the Pilates part, making your core strong. As soon as you have your core strong, all that takes away from any back pain you might have. I’m not worried about the back at all.”

In addition to his Pilates workouts, Jenkins also changed his eating habits. He made sure his meals consisted of protein and vegetables, while cutting out starch, carbohydrates and alcohol.

“I already slimmed down right now,” Jenkins said. “I’m down to 325. Last season I was up to 345. … I believe at the end of last season, I was 33% body fat. Now I’m down to about 24. So, slimming down is difficult, but you got to be disciplined in yourself to stay on the right diet and make sure your body does what it’s supposed to do.”

Slimming down is only part of Jenkin’s process to get back on the field this season. He is having to earn the trust of the new coaching staff and front office to prove they made the right choice drafting him despite his rookie year being almost a total wash.

“For me, it’s about earning trust and earning their belief that I deserve to be on this team still,” Jenkins said. “I’m working for that trust. That’s ultimately what I’m doing. And putting more of that trust they have into me will make me feel more comfortable.”