It’s crowded at the top of the Bears’ depth chart at wide receiver, but meaningful roles are available beyond the three obvious standouts.
No player is more aware of that opportunity than Velus Jones, who was a third-round pick last season and now is fighting for a roster spot. Jones will increase his odds if he proves himself valuable as a return specialist as well, his strong start to training camp indicates he has a chance to earn a real role in the offense.
He already looks a step ahead of last year, when injuries and inconsistency kept him out of the offense and led to the Bears making him a healthy scratch twice.
“Velus has always worked really hard at it — always has,” offensive coordinator Luke Getsy said Thursday. “You can see it when he breaks the huddle. Last year it was like, ‘Am I even going left or right the correct way?’ He’s getting in his spot and he’s doing his assignments at a much higher rate. So all that stuff, you can see it in his game.”
Jones fought off a defender for a tough catch in the end zone during one-on-one drills Thursday.
Rookie Tyler Scott, a fourth-round pick from Cincinnati, is one of his top competitors. Along with picking up Chase Claypool and DJ Moore in trades since drafting Jones, the Bears had no hesitation adding Scott to the mix.
Scott appears to have arrived with a similar approach to the one Darnell Mooney had when the Bears picked him in the fifth round in 2020. He already has shown knowledge of the offense by being in the right spots at the right times and has made several impressive plays the first two days of camp.
“He has come in with the right mentality,” Getsy said. “He’s a tough dude that works really hard and when you have talent... really good things are going to happen.”
