Chicago Bears: 5 Players who need to make a big impression

Velus Jones, Wide Receiver

The drafting of Velus Jones Jr. last season was controversial. Jones was projected as a fifth-round pick in the draft. However, Poles selected him in the third round.

Jones has plenty of speed to spare. In fact, he has 4.31 speed. Add to that a 6-foot tall, 200-pound physique and he is a dream. Things were anything but a dream in his rookie season, however.

Despite all those years in college, Jones still had a limited route tree. Basically, he was just good at just outrunning the defenders or giving him the ball quickly and having him break it deep.

Because of his limited route tree, Jones was integral on special teams in college. He could take advantage of the lanes and take off.

Jones was not able to do that in 2022, though. He finished the season with just 7 receptions for 107 yards and a touchdown. Additionally, he also ran for 103 yards on 9 carries, also scoring a touchdown.

The Bears had Jones field punts. However, he had two muffs that cost the Bears victories. The coaches then took him off punt duty.

The only area that Jones had an impact on was kickoff return. He finished 7th in the league in return yards with 607. He averaged 27.6 yards per return, which ranked third among players with 20 or more returns.

The one thing he excelled at is something that the league is slowly erasing. There is a new rule that allows teams to fair catch a kickoff and take the ball at the 25. There will be fewer returns and the returner has to be sure that making the return will be advantageous.

That means that Jones has to improve his abilities on offense to make an impact. He cannot just be the “go deep” guy. He needs to be able to make plays offensively.