3 Bears Players Who Need to Leave With Luke Getsy
By Thomas Erbe
Velus Jones Jr. Should Not Make Next Year's Team
Every football fan can think of a player that does play or has played for their team that when they have the ball in their hands, the initial reaction is to either say "please don't drop it" or "don't run backwards." For Bears fans, that man is currently Velus Jones Jr.
Jones was a third-round draft pick from Ryan Poles' first draft as general manager. In the 2022-23 season, he did record a rushing and a receiving touchdown. But that was outnumbered by his 3 fumbles. He had more of a reserved role this past season, only really being seen on special teams. When he would return punts and kicks, he didn't catch on to just running forward until late in the season. He loved his lateral movements.
In one interview during this season, he told reporters that when he was in college at Tennessee, when he would have a play where he "messed up," the coaches would know to put the ball back in his hands immediately to let him right his wrong. He said that is how he best deals with mistakes on the field.
Unfortunately for him, that is not how it works in the NFL. You either do your job, or you lose that opportunity. The Jones experiment has run its course in Chicago.
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