Chicago Bears made a curious roster decision during the NFL Hall of Game

The NFL Hall of Fame Game is mostly a platform for position battles at the bottom of NFL depth charts but the Chicago Bears made an interesting decision regarding Velus Jones. Jr.

Jones has been awful for two seasons since being drafted in the third round of the 2022 NFL draft. Now, he enters his third season firmly on the roster bubble. Or, at least that is what you would expect. 

To the surprise of many, Velus Jones did not play at all last night. Is this a sign that he is safely on the roster, or too far from it?

The first thought is that he is safe. He is a notable kick returner. The rules just changed and kick returns are now more valuable, with more chances for big returns. So, Jones has added value this season. 

Velus Jones Jr.'s lack of playing time in the NFL Hall of Fame game raised eyebrows.

Did the Bears sit him because they know what they have in the return game? Or, were they looking for someone to unseat him?

Tyler Scott was the starting kick return man, and while he should be ahead of Jones on the regular depth chart, he did not do anything with his couple of returns to make Jones look expendable. 

Still, when asked if Jones had locked down the starting kick return job, head coach Matt Eberflus shot that talk down saying that the competition is wide open. 

Even if Jones was so trusted as a kick returner, the team should be interested in seeing if he can win the punt return job as well, because that would save the team a roster spot. Instead, DeAndre Carter and Dante Pettis returned punts. At this point, both are trusted in that area over Jones. 

So, Collin Johnson passed him as a wide receiver, Tyler Scott started over him as the kick return option and two end-of-the-roster players got more punt return work, and have more experience in that area.

At this point, there is nothing Jones brings to the roster. His lack of playing time may say more about how low he is on the roster rather than how high he is. We will see if he suits up next week.