Jenkins Not Used to ‘Giving Up Two Sacks’

Green Bay Packers offensive tackle Elgton Jenkins returned from a torn ACL last week and will be part of the challenge of facing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Aaron Rodgers called offensive lineman’s Elgton Jenkins’ performance against the Chicago Bears on Sunday night an “absolute success.”

Jenkins, the Green Bay Packers’ starting right tackle, wasn’t quite as forgiving.

“It was a success that I was out there with my teammates. But, overall game, I wouldn’t call it a successful game for me,” Jenkins said on Thursday. “I’m used to not giving up two sacks a game. So, I definitely wouldn’t call that a success, but it was good being out there with my teammates and being able to compete.”

Jenkins allowed two sacks in the first 20 minutes against Chicago’s Trevis Gipson. On one, Rodgers scrambled up in the pocket and Gipson came free for the sack. On the other, Jenkins blamed it on “horrible” technique. Jenkins said he was rusty, which was understandable.

“I was on the sideline three weeks ago doing drills with the trainers,” Jenkins said.

Jenkins has come a long way since sustaining a torn ACL at Minnesota on Nov. 21. While David Bakhtiari’s odyssey has perhaps changed the thinking, recoveries from that injury have become so commonplace that they are taken for granted. It’s not an easy comeback, though, a professional going from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows from an athletic perspective.

“Lifting my leg the first time after my surgery, trying to do leg raises is tough,” Jenkins recalled. “It was trying to get it off the ground a couple inches is hard. Just trying to do a leg raise is hard.”

Before Jenkins could play again, he had to simply get out of bed to get to the bathroom. He had to start walking; then, he could start running. He had to regain lost strength and flexibility. There were mental blocks to get past, too.

Jenkins opened training camp on the physically unable to perform list and practiced for the first time on Aug. 14. When he lined up against Chicago for his second career start at right tackle, it was three days shy of 10 months past the injury. He was “exhausted” after the first drive and “exhausted” after the game.

After the game, while he wasn’t satisfied with how he played, he basked in the triumphant glow of months of hard work. His mom and sister were among those at Lambeau Field there to share his big moment.

“After the game, I soaked it in,” he said. “I always wanted to be out there and competing. Just being the long journey that I’ve been on, it was good for me.”

The Packers wouldn’t have won the game without Jenkins, coach Matt LaFleur said. A Pro Bowler at guard in 2020 who showed he could be a high-level level tackle before the injury in 2021, Jenkins has the makings of being an elite right tackle. The offensive line got infinitely better upon his return, with Jenkins blocking one of the edges and Royce Newman able to return to right guard, where he started 16 games as a rookie.

“He brings the intensity up of everyone around him,” offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said of Jenkins. “You can see that extra juice we had. He was a little rusty. I think that every week he’s going to get a little bit better. He knows that. He’s working on that. He’s had a big week of practice so far. It was great to have him back.”

On Sunday, it will be the next challenge: A road game in the heat and humidity of Tampa and against a Buccaneers defense that is No. 1 in the NFL in sacks.

“The game coming up, I feel like I should play at a high standard,” Jenkins said. “Every game, my objective is to play at a high standard. I’m going to go out there and play and we’re going to do well.”

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