3 things to know about Chicago Bears rookie Velus Jones

2. Velus Jones Return Game Upside

The biggest thing that Velus Jones has going for him is his special teams’ background. When he started his career at USC and was second-team All-Pac 12 as a return man in 2019. Then, in 2020 and 2021 Velus Jones led the SEC in return yards.

In 2021, he was named first-team All-SEC and was the SEC co-Special Teams Player of the Year. Considering Jones will be 25 years old as a rookie he will be expected to contribute immediately. That should mean that he will be the one taking the opening kick-off of week one as well.

There is some hope that he can be this dynamic with the ball in his hands on offense as well. However, the big difference seems to come down to straight-line speed compared to a change of direction.

Velus Jones can fly, and when he gets one hole he can turn on the jets and nobody can catch him. However, when he has to wiggle, stop and start, and change directions he starts to get stiff. The Chicago Bears have to understand this and make the most of this skill set on offense now.