One of the bigger surprises of the Chicago Bears roster cuts was their decision to keep Velus Jones. In the minds of many fans, the former 3rd round pick is a bust. He never lived up to his high draft status as a wide receiver. There was little point in keeping him above other potential options. However, the Bears ignored those recommendations, keeping the third-year player for another season. When the final episode of Hard Knocks premiered on Tuesday, it shed further light on what went down.
It started in the meeting room where Poles asked about the runners. Running backs coach Chad Morton, offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, special teams coordinator Richard Hightower, and head coach Matt Eberflus all expressed vehement support for Jones. They feel his newfound home at running back and expanding versatility are too good to leave off the roster.
The Velus Jones news didn’t end there.
Apparently, as the deadline for final cuts approached, another team called Poles about trading for Jones. It was a generous offer, too—one he deemed “unbelievable” value on paper. However, given what Jones could offer the team, he wasn’t willing to go below a 4th round pick in return.
That should tell you everything you need to know. Velus Jones made such a strong impression in training camp and the preseason that none of the coaches wanted to cut him. Even an attempted trade failed to move the Bears. Fans may have their opinions on the subject. Yet the organization feels Jones has something to offer that can’t be so easily discarded. He’s too talented and too dedicated to the grind. All they had to do was find a spot for him. Maybe running back is his proper home. We’ll find out the plans for him starting Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.
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I’ve told y’all that Ryan Poles is an inept judge of NFL talent, proficiency,, heart and value. Let’s apply this claim to Velus Jones Jr., and see how it plays out — And then you guys can come up with something that you believe is untrue. ▪︎ Talent — As to physical traits: Velus Jones Jr. (VJJ) has “elite” burst, mid and long gain speed! He was faster on the NFL Combine electronically monitored track than Tyreek Hill — and, that’s fast. (10-20-40-yard times = 1.46; 2.50; 4.31 seconds for VJJ — 1.50; 2.51 and 4.29 seconds for Hill). ▪︎.… Read more »
The solid job will be deferred to Ian.
Rocket- 🫡 Well pointed out! But again I’m a realist. The bears can win the next 2 Super Bowls and that guy will still bash poles. He’s not going away nor will he humble himself and admit poles has done a solid job as our bears GM.
Well gena will lose his mind over this. He seems to think every decision is just Poles picking guys he likes or guys he drafted. Seems like the consensus from the HC to the RBs coach to the OC all wanted VJjr. Gena has been pounding the table for him to be released. A Poles failure. Bet gena will ghost us on this now. He should really learn how decisions are made and stop blaming Poles for every player he doesn’t like. Thinks he’s smarter than the collective staff.
I know it wasn’t a poplar take but I was always a Velus guy ever since the browns game last year. Watching him get the edge and them struggling to stop his speed was something I’ve been pounding the table for forever. Jones with the packers destroyed us with that and we could never get that speed back to compliment Montgomery. Velus ST play is also a big X factor and I’m excited to see what plays he makes this year. But I’m also a realist, if there was an offer of a 4th rd pick on the table I… Read more »