Not because he's a bad guy or a terrible player - by all accounts Jenkins is the consummate professional and an exceptional locker room presence - but because he's a 10 year veteran with eroding skills and no upside, and if the gaggle of receivers that coach Bill Belichick has brought in to populate his depth chart can't beat out Jenkins limited skill set, then the offense was in big trouble.
Given the lamentable nickname "Molasses Mike" by the media in Atlanta when he played with the Falcons, Jenkins had been slowed even more by a leg injury of some sort since before the first preseason game against the Eagles, and was quickly passed on the depth chart by - well - everyone...
...and that is important for us to remember. During OTAs and mandatory minicamp, Jenkins was an early favorite target for Brady and more or less set the bar for the minimum that Brady and the offense could work with - but the speed in which all of the other receivers out performed him and passed him up in camp was staggering, and an excellent sign for Patriots' fans.
Excellent because Brady had seemed to bond with Jenkins as the veteran presence on the depth chart, someone with reliable hands and the toughness to move the sticks - and while that personified the 10 year veteran, releasing him at this point of preseason means that the future Hall of Fame quarterback has gained at least a minimum amount of confidence in his young receiving corps.
So Belichick did the right thing and released Jenkins, giving him plenty of time to try and catch on with another team before the regular season - and though he may find the market pretty soft initially, his size and above average blocking ability should help him find a home before very long...
...just not in New England, where Belichick has apparently settled into the idea that with Danny Amendola headlining a potentially explosive group of young receivers - perhaps the most collectively dangerous group ever to grace a Patriots' roster - any reps that Jenkins got in practice was taking away from players are going to be in Foxboro past August 31st.
It's all starting to come into focus now, which is excellent news considering that the team has just one preseason game under it's belt.
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