Velus Jones knows he has to carve his own path in the NFL. Plenty of people are already doubting what he can do for the Chicago Bears. He only had one good season receiving in six years of college. He’s 25-years-old already. This franchise has a tortured history of not getting the most out of wide receivers they draft. It feels like plenty is working against him to succeed in this league.
That doesn’t seem to deter him. Jones is already mature. So the aura of the NFL doesn’t intimidate him as it would normal rookies. He also has brimming confidence in his ability. That shouldn’t be a surprise when you have 4.31 speed and were one of the most dominant returners in college football for multiple years. He knows he can make plays when the ball is in his hands. Last but not least is confidence in his new quarterback. Justin Fields has made a strong impression on him already.
It doesn’t end there, though.
There is also history on his side. He knows that Chicago has an established track record of receivers from Tennessee finding success there. He pointed this out during his interview on Podsters of the Midway when asked what he knew about the team when he got drafted by them. The three names that immediately came to mind were Willie Gault, Devin Hester, and Cordarrelle Patterson.
“I know it’s a huge media place and it holds, like, a lot of history. A lot of retired jerseys. Also, Willie Gault came from Tennessee as well. And also Devin Hester in the return game. Man. Especially the return he had in the Super Bowl. Then you have Cordarrelle Patterson that was also a Volunteer. So it was like a lot of history here.”
The wild part about that point is how similar the three players are. Like Jones, both Gault and Patterson came into the NFL as proven return men. Gault scored five touchdowns on special teams in college. Patterson scored two (in one season). Athletically speaking, Jones is absolutely on their level. That bodes well for what is to come.
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Velus Jones hasn’t wasted time.
Updates from minicamps and OTAs suggest the rookie creates lots of separation from defenders in drills. Only Darnell Mooney has looked better. Some will likely see this as an indictment of the other receivers on the roster. In truth, it doesn’t matter. Jones has no control over that. His only job is getting open for his quarterbacks. He is doing that. Hopefully, it will continue into training camp. At that point, people will start to believe this young may have what it takes.
It will be interesting to see if he can establish himself as the best Tennessee receiver ever to join the Bears. The fun part is both Gault and Patterson present different challenges. Gault is the 9th-leading receiver in franchise history with 3,650 yards and 27 touchdowns. Patterson is 10th in team history with 1,842 kick return yards and two touchdowns. Both milestones are difficult but not insurmountable. If Velus Jones tops either?
Nobody will be able to call him a failed draft pick.
Furthering such a tradition would no doubt be a great honor to him. The best part is he might get to play with the best quarterback of the three, presuming Fields takes a significant step forward as hoped.
Jones will be better than both Gault and Patterson if he stays healthy. If he does he’ll surely earn a second contract and as a result he will score more return TD’s than Patterson did for the Bears if the Bears chose to use him consistently as both a returner and WR. And. he’ll score more total TDs than Gault (receiving and running).
Jones has the right stuff to be the Bears version of Deebo Samuel…only faster!
I mean, Hester went to Miami.