Chicago Bears Week 10 Loser No. 3: Velus Jones Jr.
It seems like a couple of Week 9 blunders against the Saints was a tipping point for the relationship between the Chicago Bears and Velus Jones Jr. They healthy scratched him against the Panthers and it seems like that might be the play going forward. There has been no production from Jones this year and it seems like he was making more mistakes than positive plays. It is an unfortunate outcome for a player who was supposed to be a speed weapon for the team.
The Bears used Tyler Scott as the primary kick returner and kept Trent Taylor to return punts. Taylor even got some reps at wide receiver and over the last couple weeks, we have seen him as the gadget player over Jones. This will most likely continue as he has not made the costly mistakes that have plagued Jones' career so far. Plus, they were able to get Equinimeous St. Brown in the game for his blocking services and at this point, he is even a better receiver than Jones.
Having Jones as an active player to basically just stand in the endzone on kickoffs has done nothing to contribute to the Chicago Bears, so Matt Eberflus seems to have finally pulled the plug. Whether or not Jones finds any action going forward remains to be known, but things are not looking great for the second-year receiver.
The Chicago Bears have a huge test coming up against the Detroit Lions on the road as they look to capture their first divisional win since the 2020-2021 season. They will have to clean things up, especially on offense and special teams, if they want to limit the mistakes and be able to hang with an explosive Detroit offense.