Ryan Poles first NFL Draft bust continues to get life with the Chicago Bears

You won't find a bigger supporter of Velus Jones Jr on the Chicago Bears than myself. Well, maybe you will with Ryan Poles, but after him, it has to be me. Jones is probably still on the roster because he was a third-round pick, but the hate that he gets is unwarranted. Poles thought he had found a starting punt and kick returner in the form of a Tennessee receiver back in 2022. The issue was that sometimes colleges are correct, and sometimes they aren't. In six years, Jones returned punts only during one season. That was during his final year of college.

That is a red flag, people. Why did it take five seasons before he got his chance to return punts? Jones was the starting kick returner every year except during his freshman season. Ryan Poles doesn't bat 1.000. The NFL is much better at figuring out what players belong to what position, but that was a big miss on the Bears staff and Poles. Most of the hate Jones gets from fans is fielded from his multiple fumbles punt returning, one drop from a Justin Fields pass, and a fumble that went out of bounds on offense.

Now, I get the anger from his multiple blips on punt returns. But who isn't yelling at the coaching staff to remove him from that position? Speaking of positions, remember after year one when we said we see Jones as Cordarrelle Patterson? The Bears finally figured it out. Sure, it was just preseason, but how can anybody not see that explosive athlete fly past people like they are standing still? Maybe it's a pipe dream that he will become great, but Jones can do some great things on this roster.

It's still early to celebrate because the 53-man roster is always changing until week one. But for now, the Chicago Bears have their starting kick returner, gunner, and third or fourth-string running back.