The Chicago Bears appear to have scored some intriguing hits with their latest undrafted class. Tight end Brendan Bates has four catches for 86 yards. Ian Wheeler is averaging almost five yards per carry and has two touchdowns. However, the most consistently active name that has surfaced over the past month is Carl Jones Jr. Chicago signed him right after the draft coming out of UCLA. Nobody read much into it since the team was already heavy at linebacker. He was probably just a camp body.
Time has proven otherwise. Across two appearances, he now has 14 tackles, which is tied for the third-most in the league this preseason. Clearly, the Bears saw something when they signed the kid. In truth, the story of how Jones ended up in Chicago is a wild one. According to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, it started with him being actively sabotaged by his own coaching staff at UCLA. He’d wanted to play linebacker, but they used him as an edge rusher instead. This is likely the biggest reason he never got any attention during the draft.
He’d need a stroke of good fortune to get the attention of NFL teams.
It’s an interesting transition for Jones, who wanted to switch to linebacker in school but was sort of pigeonholed into being an undersized edge rusher. The Bears list him at 6-foot-2, 230 pounds.
Jones entered UCLA as a safety and was switched to linebacker as a true freshman. He was used as an outside linebacker, primarily rushing the passer as a sophomore.
“Junior year I asked to go back and Chip Kelly was like, ‘Nah, we like you here,’ ” Jones said. “The next year, I asked him again, ‘No, we like you here.’ So I just stuck it out.”…
…Catching the attention of NFL teams as a player who did not profile as an edge rusher wasn’t easy, and it took a little imagination for the Bears. Jones wasn’t invited to the scouting combine or any postseason all-star games. He ran a 4.49-second, 40-yard dash at the UCLA pro day, which caught the attention of the Bears, who gave him a $20,000 signing bonus and guaranteed $120,000, an indicator they saw him as a good shot to make the practice squad.
The Chicago Bears took a chance based on his 40 time.
That is basically how Jones ended up with the team. His ability to run a sub-4.5 in the 40 at 6’2, 230 lbs convinced them he might have the athletic profile to play linebacker. When they found out he actually had wanted to play the position from the start, it only further cemented the decision. People love to downplay the importance of athletic testing. Focus on the tape. That is all that matters. This story proves those people wrong. Sometimes, those tests are crucial to helping players without a clear path to the NFL to find one.
Jones Jr. has the size and speed to play linebacker in the NFL. Maybe if his coaches in college had been smart enough to recognize he was playing out of position, he’d have gotten more notoriety. Whatever the case, it ends up being the Chicago Bears’ gain. The rookie won’t make the main roster this year, but he’s a lock for the practice squad. From there, anything is possible.
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Slip Knotz- Just my opinion but I don’t think anyone else on this team has the ceiling that VJ has on the new KR rules. I get everyone hates him for the major mistakes at PR and drop passes in the past. But Morten our RB coach really likes him and he showed promise in the Cleveland game at that position last season. I’m pretty sure this is the last year that both DR and VJ will have to prove themselves and I’m sure they will have a very short leash. Pettis had some drops this preseason on some easy… Read more »
I said this last year and I say it again this year. Please stop favoring Dom Rob and Velus Jones! This is bullshit. And I’m sorry I don’t normally use strong language online. I think you hurt the team when you keep “progress stoppers” in place of guys who make plays! Here again we have 2 DE’s that should play well ahead of DR. And at RB you have Wheeler and maybe Pettis, CJ, an extra DB returner or Blasinghame that should be kept ahead of Velus. Let me make a very clear point about DR & VJ. If you… Read more »
I suspect Rypien will be QB3, but on the practice squad. There’s a rule in place this year that the team can nominate a QB from the practice squad, dress him, and if all (both) roster QBs are injured, the practice squad guy can play. That will likely be Rypien’s role, and King will also make the practice squad (unless either of them is poached).
Liking Wheeler over Homer, but that may not be the choice. Jones and Sewell may both end up on the practice squad, as may DomRob. Gonna be an interesting week.
citizen34- Velus will no matter what be on the team. His size and speed and how much RB coach Morten likes him will secure his spot. It’s actually hard to find a player like Velus with all his intangibles. He will make some mistakes but it’s going to be pretty hard to muff a kickoff with the new rule. I personally would much rather have Wheeler over Homer but I just don’t know if he’s shown enough to bump him. Homer has some solid ST plays under his belt. But man Wheeler runs with purpose and like a teammate said… Read more »
Some site ran an article a few months ago about Bears UDFAs, asking the reader to vote on which ones to keep. I definitely voted for Jones of UCLA because of his school/league competition, traits and versatility. Now I am so glad I did.