The Chicago Bears really want Velus Jones to make this roster. This goes beyond the reality of him being a former third-round pick and the team latching onto their pre-draft evaluation. The team wants to keep him to be a kick returner, and the new kick return rules may finally make his role valuable enough to justify a roster spot.
Still, the question is how much he brings to the table in what has become a deep wide receiver room. DeAndre Carter is ahead of him in punt returns, Tyler Scott is younger and a better receiver, and Collin Johnson just flashed in the Hall of Fame game.
Does Jones' kick return value bring enough to keep him on the roster? Perhaps if he plays running back. The Bears have tried him at running back this week, and Matt Eberflus said he is not opposed to this change sticking.
Matt Eberflus says Velus Jones is open to working at halfback. “Hopefully that grows into something.”
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) August 6, 2024
The reality is that Jones does not need to bring much as a running back. He is essentially competing with Travis Homer for a roster spot in that role. Homer is a pass-catching back, but he played just six offensive snaps last season anyway.
His role was special teams, and although he played over 250 snaps. The emergence of Collin Johnson may make this a fair trade-off. Especially with Jones returning kicks.
Homer has been banged up this offseason already, which opens a door. Jones does not need to do much as a running back beyond be fast and catch a pass or two.
It is a game of numbers. There are currently fewer running back numbers than wide receivers. This gives Jones an opportunity he may not have had a few weeks ago. Is the transition to running back the best thing to happen to Velus Jones this offseason?