6 final takeaways from the Chicago Bears mandatory minicamp

Velus Jones has been lining up all over the Chicago Bears offense

We have heard Velus Jones, Jr. brought up by multiple teammates and coaches. Sometimes those comments are even unprompted as we saw from Darnell Mooney the other day. Jones was asked about how it felt to know his teammates are talking him up and he thought it was great to see that type of respect already from established players in the league.

Jones spoke about how he has been moving around the field a lot. He has seen a large number of passes thrown his way and that has helped his confidence. The way it sounds, I would not be surprised if Jones takes on that Z wide receiver spot we thought Darnell Mooney would handle, while Mooney plays a little more specific to the slot.

This would leave Byron Pringle as the X receiver. It’s also possible that they just interchange some of these guys as Mooney has experience as the Z and Pringle has experience in both the slot and the outside. The key here though will be separation and yards after the catch — these are all things Velus Jones has been providing.

Finally, Jones was asked about an earlier comment he made regarding his route running and his want to become a more refined route runner. He had this to say:

"“I’ve improved on getting in and out of cuts, focusing on dropping my hips and having my chest up over my knees. I’ve been really improving on that and it’s showing on film when I’m getting in and out of cuts and knowing what I can do when I get the ball in my hands.”"

I keep saying that this wide receiver group has the potential to surprise some people and be better than they look on paper.