On Friday, the Chicago Bears announced that they are placing Dante Pettis on injured reserve and also waived fellow wide receiver Joe Reed. To put Pettis on injured reserve now means his season is over in Chicago. In order to designate Pettis to be able to return in four weeks, the Bears would have needed to carry him on their 53-man roster before designating him to IR. This is something that Ryan Poles and company had to do with N'Keal Harry last year.
Dante Pettis did not have much of an opportunity to prove himself this offseason. Pettis was brought back to Chicago on another one-year deal. I think the staff appreciates his toughness and willingness to put his body on the line. Well, unfortunately for Pettis, it is his body that let him down this time.
In 2022, Dante Pettis played in all 17 games and started seven of them. He finished the year with 19 catches for 245 yards and three touchdowns. He also became their primary punt returner after Velus Jones, Jr. showed signs of struggles in that area. Too often, Jones was making the wrong decision or muffing a punt. Pettis may have only averaged 9.1 yards per punt return in 2022, but he was at least not reckless with the football.
Does losing Dante Pettis open the door for Velus Jones?
Velus Jones, Jr. has not been off to a great start on special teams this offseason either. Personally, I'm struggling to keep him on my 53-man roster projection (more on that at a later date). He has made too many glaring mistakes and hasn't stood out to me in any other area other than as a kick returner. To only be a kick returner seems like a bit of a waste, but we will have to wait and see. Losing Dante Pettis definitely gives Jones a better chance at sticking around. The only other options we have seen fielding punts are Tyler Scott and Nsimba Webster. Maybe they stick with Scott.
I already mentioned how I felt that Jones was on the roster bubble. Tyler Scott isn't going anywhere and I'm not sure he'd clear waivers if Ryan Poles were to not keep him on the final roster in hopes of bringing him back on the practice squad. Equanimeous St. Brown had a better chance of making the final roster for his blocking alone. With Pettis out of the mix though, I can see them keeping six receivers and Velus Jones, Jr. is likely one of them.