The fruitless Velus Jones Jr. era with the Chicago Bears has finally come to an end.
On Friday, the Bears waived the 2022 third-round pick, admitting defeat after a failed experiment. The 27-year-old saw the field only once this season, recording 11 rushing yards (two attempts) and eight receiving yards (one catch) in Week 1.
The Bears took a bit of a gamble in picking Jones No. 71 overall three years ago. Primarily a special teams threat at USC and Tennessee, he recorded more kick-return yards (2,973) than receiving yards (1,434) over six college seasons.
Jones’ trends stayed the same at the NFL level and regressed in the wrong areas. Over 27 games with the Bears, he amassed only 135 receiving yards (12 receptions) and 165 rushing yards (19 attempts) compared to 1,042 kick-return yards (26.7 yards per return).
The 2024 season was perhaps Jones’ final chance to carve a role with the Bears, especially with the NFL’s kickoff rules change. Instead, he lost the job to veteran wideout DeAndre Carter, who’s averaging 33.3 yards per return (six attempts) while contributing 60 passing yards off seven catches over six games.
Along with Jones, the Bears released fullback Khari Blasingame to make room for several players who are coming off the injured list. Should Chicago encounter injuries on offense, there’s a slight chance that Jones could return since he’s already familiar with the team’s system.
But, for now, it seems Jones’ time with the Bears is over.
