The Chicago Bears went back to the drawing board after Sunday’s loss to the Green Bay Packers. After entering Sunday’s big matchup as the No. 1 seed in the NFC, the Bears tumbled to seventh despite having a record of 9-4. With the Detroit Lions on their heels with an 8-5 record, every detail is going to matter down the stretch, especially when it comes to their special teams.
On Tuesday, that unit took a blow when The Athletic’s Brad Biggs reported that linebacker Carl Jones Jr. has been claimed by the Baltimore Ravens. The move comes after Chicago put Jones on waivers with the hopes they could bring him back to the practice squad, but now will try to plug a massive hole in their special teams unit as they enter the final four games of the regular season.
Bears Lose Key Special Teams LB Carl Jones Jr. to Ravens
The Bears had their reasons for putting Jones on waivers after T.J. Edwards and Noah Sewell returned in Sunday’s loss to the Packers. Chicago also had to make room for offensive lineman Jordan McFadden to add some depth in the trenches, but those moves have come at the expense of their special teams.
According to Pro Football Focus, Chicago’s 88.5 special teams grade ranks 12th in the NFL entering Week 15, and Jones’s play was a big reason why. Jones logged a 66.5 special teams grade, which ranked 11th among qualifiers on the Bears this season, and he was tied for fifth on the team with six tackles.
In a perfect world, the Bears probably would have liked to have kept him on the practice squad and elevated him when needed. But the Ravens beating them to the punch gives them a problem to solve.
Chicago still has Daniel Hardy and Jonathan Owens, who are tied for the team lead with nine special teams tackles each. Elijah Hicks has gotten involved with seven special teams tackles. But the Bears may need to rely more on D’Marco Jackson or Jaylon Jones, who have five tackles each, to pick up the slack.
There’s also a chance the Bears could turn to Ruben Hyppolite II, who hasn’t contributed much during his rookie year but could be involved on special teams when he recovers from a shoulder injury.
The last player that could step up is the recently acquired Jaylen Reaves-Maybin. The Bears have already elevated Reaves-Maybin twice and have one more elevation left. But as a former All-Pro special teams player with the Detroit Lions, Reaves-Maybin could be added to the active roster for the final stretch of the season.
Whatever the Bears decide, it could play a key role as they look to hold off the Lions and clinch their first playoff appearance since 2020.