When the Bears drafted wide receiver Velus Jones in the third round of the 2022 draft, there were not a lot of wide receivers ahead of him on the depth chart.
The makeup of the position group has changed a lot since then, however. Veterans DJ Moore and Chase Claypool joined the team in trades and the Bears drafted Tyler Scott in the fourth round this year, so there’s tighter competition for jobs this time around.
Carving out a role on special teams is one way to get a leg up, Jones didn’t do much to help his cause in the preseason opener. He muffed a punt that the Titans recovered and that miscue was an unwelcome reminder of Jones’ rookie mistakes. He fumbled the first time he touched the ball in the 2022 preseason and lost two more on punt returns before being replaced in that role during the regular season.
While Jones did well as a kickoff returner last season, the whole profile suggests a player who could find himself on the roster bubble if he doesn’t clean up his play. Jones said he doesn’t “care about any outside noise” and believes the team’s decision makers “know what I’m capable of” doing on the field.
‘‘I showed glimpses last year and stuff, not getting too much playing time,’’ Jones said, via Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times. ‘‘Getting in enough and getting my feet wet just a little bit. I know what I’m capable of, and I’m definitely a unique player on this team.’’
As a third-round pick, Jones will get a longer look than others who have made the same kind of mistakes. If he can’t cut them out soon, however, those chances might run out.
