When Ryan Pace was relieved of his duties in January along with head coach Matt Nagy, it felt like a pretty major changing of the guard for the Chicago Bears. Justin Fields would be afforded a fresh start, the roster could finally be rejuvenated with fresh talent from a fresh roster-building perspective, and maybe, just maybe, the Bears would break out of the mediocre cycle they've been stuck in for what feels like a generation.

And yet, such a turnover doesn't happen overnight; much like Lovie Smith's march back to an NFL head coaching gig, the Bears are going to have to make a few stops along the way to get where they want to be, and will likely have to say goodbye to a few faces both beloved by the fans and acquired using premium draft capital.

One prominent name on the block? Teven Jenkins, the Bears' 2021 second-round pick out of Oklahoma State who Pace handpicked to serve as one of the team's tackles of the future.

Now, if you watched Pace play for the Bears at all last season, this probably isn't particularly surprising, as the rookie was among the worst individual performers on the team according to Pro Football Focus, and his fit in Matt Eberflus/Luke Getsy‘s offensive scheme is questionable, to say the least. Still, it's not too often a team cuts bait on such a premium player so early in their careers, even if they aren't exactly a featured player during camp. Then again, if the team can secure a solid return, either a future draft pick or a ready-made player in a similar position on another team, who knows; maybe a change can be the best course of action for all parties involved.