Surprising Velus Jones Jr. update proves Chicago Bears aren't giving up hope

It only took one game during the 2024 NFL season before Velus Jones Jr.'s spot on the Chicago Bears' 53-man roster was already in question.

After fumbling a kickoff return attempt during the Bears' season-opening victory over the Tennessee Titans, Jones was inactive for the team's loss to the Houston Texans this past Sunday. While the Keenan Allen injury is likely what is preventing Jones from being cut, the belief has been that it may be an uphill climb for him to be active on gamedays moving forward.

DeAndre Carter has established himself as the returner for both kickoffs and punts while also showing some value in the passing game last week. As long as Carter is healthy, there isn't a path for Jones returning to be the return specialist.

But, in the latest twist that is the saga known as Jones' roster spot, he was spotted practicing with the wide receivers on Thursday.

Velus Jones Jr. may be returning to his natural position.

It's been a struggle for the Bears' wide receivers to stay healthy this season. Allen continues to miss stack missed practices due to a heel injury while Rome Odunze is playing through a Grade 1 MCL Sprain. The initial hunch is that as long as Allen's status is in question, there is more value for Jones serving as a wide receiver than there is a running back.

The running back experiment never made complete sense for Jones. It reeked of the Bears' desperate attempt to find a way to keep Jones on the roster.

One thing Jones' seeming switch back to wide receiver confirms is that the Bears are not giving up on their 2022 draft pick. In what is becoming an alarming trend for the Bears' roster construction, the front office and coaching staff have fallen in love with the person. The issue with that is their love for Jones' the person had made them blind to the fact that he shouldn't be on the roster.