Here’s why the Chicago Bears haven’t given up on Velus Jones Jr. yet

LAKE FOREST – The Chicago Bears are giving Velus Jones Jr. another shot. When the team released its 53-man roster on Tuesday, Jones was among the players included.

That may have irked some Bears fans, who have grown tired of waiting for the former third-round draft pick to do something on offense. Jones has only 11 career receptions and just 281 yards from scrimmage over his first two NFL seasons.

But the fact is, it’s not a huge surprise to see Jones on the 2024 roster. The Bears were signaling this all throughout the offseason.

A change in the kickoff rules may have given Jones new life as a kick returner. He was an elite kick returner (at least in terms of yards per return) as a rookie in 2022, before the rules changed last year and effectively eliminated the play. Now, after another rule change, the Bears see an opportunity for Jones to thrive again in that role.

The Bears moved Jones from wide receiver to running back for part of training camp and he saw significant action at the position in the preseason finale against Kansas City, totaling 113 rushing yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. That included a 39-yard touchdown run.

While moving Jones from receiver to running back could have been interpreted as a desperate attempt to save him from being cut, the opposite appears to be true. Jones was going to make this roster all along. Giving him time at running back just gives the Bears more options for using him on offense.

“We can use him in the backfield,” head coach Matt Eberflus said. “We can spread him out [wide]. We can do a lot of different things with him and that’s, to me, a benefit. To try to defend that when he comes in the game is a little bit different than just a normal type of receiver, or a guy that can line up in the backfield.”

Putting Jones in running back meetings gave him the opportunity to see the field like a running back, to read his blocks like a running back. That might sound like a minor adjustment, but it’s something Jones hadn’t done on a daily basis since high school.

On a roster that is deep both at running back and at wide receiver, Jones remains unlikely to see a huge workload on offense. He might see only one or two touches per game in the regular season. If he can make the most of those chances, that workload could always increase.

“He just had an outstanding camp,” Bears special teams coordinator Richard Hightower said this week. “I mean, we always knew that he could play on [special] teams, but he showed that he can play on offense, and showed that he has versatility. That’s where his value came, because he had a really good camp.”

He just had an outstanding camp. I mean, we always knew that he could play on [special] teams, but he showed that he can play on offense.”

—  Richard Hightower, Bears special teams coordinator

Bears general manager Ryan Poles already proved he’s not unwilling to give up on a player quickly. Look no further than his willingness to trade Chase Claypool last year when the receiver’s career in Chicago imploded less than a year after Poles traded a second-round draft pick for him. When Claypool became a problem in the locker room, Poles moved him quickly.

If the Bears were unhappy with Jones, they wouldn’t waste a roster spot on him. One key difference here is that Jones is likable and an unquestionable team player.

“He’s probably the funniest guy in the room,” running back D’Andre Swift said.

There’s not a Bears player or coach who doesn’t like Jones. The coaching staff is clearly willing to go to bat for him.

That’s all fine and well, but at a certain point a player has to perform. For underperforming draft picks, year three is vital. The coaching staff has invested a ton of time and effort into Jones. If the results aren’t there in year three, it will cost the Bears essentially nothing to cut Jones ahead of the 2025 season.

Jones needs to be excellent as a kick returner. At this point, if he adds any value on offense, that’s gravy.