As Velus Jones heads into his second season, the clock is already ticking on him to prove to the Bears he should be part of their future. And while his path at wide receiver was narrowed by the acquisitions of DJ Moore and Chase Claypool, Jones is the leading candidate at punt and kick returner.
Ryan Poles likely had bigger dreams when he drafted Jones in the third round at No. 71 overall last year, but he’d be an ideal return man — if, that is, he can tighten up the ball security issues that got him in trouble as a rookie.
Special teams coordinator Richard Hightower is in charge of facilitating that correction, and the subject came up when he saw Bears legend Devin Hester at a wedding over the summer. Hester told Hightower his top priority was beating the ball to the spot so he’d be in prime position for a big return, and Hightower relayed it to Jones.
“We’ve always [coached] that with all of them, but when Devin shares it, it’s just different,” Hightower said. “So that’s the key thing they’ve been working on: getting there, getting square and then being able to make a play.”
Jones struggled to solidify a role last season and was derailed by hamstring injuries in training camp.
The first time he touched the ball in a preseason game, he fumbled the opening kickoff against the Seahawks. That was an ongoing concern, and he muffed punts at crucial moments in losses to the Commanders and Giants.
The Bears have believed throughout that if they could just solve that problem, Jones would be a game-changer on special teams. They saw some evidence of that in his 63-yard kick return against the Lions.
“He’s done a lot of work when he’s been away, catching with several different punters,” Hightower said. “He’s catching the ball better and he’s finishing better, and he’s all-around a better football player.”
Offensively, Jones caught seven passes for 107 yards and a touchdown and ran nine times for 103 yards and a touchdown.
