Winners and losers of the Chicago Bears 2022 season

Chicago Bears Loser: Velus Jones Jr., WR

Rookies are usually pretty safe from ending up on the season loser list, but rookies are also usually younger than 25. Velus Jones’ age and the Bears’ dire need for a receiver to step up throughout the season earns him a spot on this list.

Even with the age concerns, it was easy to fall in love with Jones. An electrifying athlete with elite speed and the ability to change direction made him a very intriguing player. But things failed to materialize.

After missing the first few games with an injury, Jones struggled on special teams muffing several costly punts. After being taken off punt return duties, Jones was limited, seeing little offensive action. Other than the occasional kick return, Jones was an afterthought.

As of now, Jones as a receiver is more of an idea than an actual player. Many have hypothesized the role he could have in the offense, but until we see it take shape on the field, it doesn’t really matter. Although he had a career-high of 70 yards of offense against Minnesota to close out the season, there still appear to be far more questions than answers regarding Jones’ game.

Jones is already 25, and if he was unable to carve out a significant role on an offense whose second-leading wide receiver was Equanimeous St. Brown, it’s fair to question if he ever will.