Expect Velus Jones Jr. to make an immediate impact and help take this Bears’ offense to the next level
Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy was hired away from divisional bully the Green Bay Packers earlier this year. With him, he brings a west-coast offensive vision, described as a cousin of the Shanahan style that has slowly seeped into every corner of the NFL. Head Coach Matt Eberflus has played coy all off-season regarding any attempts from the media to squeeze any schematical info about the offense out of him. What we have gathered here and there since the start of OTAs and training camp, is an emphasis on running the ball in a wide-zone, play-action, utilizing quarterback Justin Fields’ legs and stretching the field. Enter third-round rookie receiver Velus Jones Jr.
How Velus Jones Jr. Can And Will Impact The Bears Offense
An aspect of the Bears’ offense that has been revealed, is Getsy’s desire to build around Fields and his specific strengths as a player. What a concept. Fields is effective on the move in bootlegs and is already one of the better deep ball passers in the league. Jones Jr. is a fantastic complement to these traits. He was projected by every draft pundit in the industry to be an effective go-route specialist in the NFL. Darnell Mooney’s presence on one side of the field, and Cole Kmet’s seam threat ability should give Jones Jr. the ability to get behind the defense. There are opportunities aplenty this summer for him to get comfortable playing in the slot, or on the outside opposite Mooney. Especially considering N’Keal Harry’s recent ankle injury, Velus Jones Jr. can control his own destiny on offense.
Although Velus Jones Jr. was underutilized as a wide receiver for most of his collegiate career, he always shined as a kick returner. Despite only playing at Tennessee for two years as a graduate transfer, he ranks in the top ten of career kick return yardage (1,026) and kick return average (25 yards) for Tennessee football history. Even more impressive is he left college football with the most kick return yardage in NCAA history, totaling 2,973 career yards. For his college career, he essentially ran the length of the Golden Gate Bridge in kick returns. Jones Jr. is a dangerous man in the open field because of his blazing 4.3 speed and size. He’s an older rookie at 25, but with that comes a mature, compact frame that more closely resembles a running back than a wide receiver. For comparison’s sake, Broncos running back Melvin Gordon is listed at 6’1 and 215 LBs, and Jones Jr. is 6’0 and 205. As useful as Dazz Newsome and Khalil Herbert performed on special teams last season, Jones Jr. is just different on punts and kickoffs.
On offense, expect Jones Jr. to be a consistent deep threat stretching the field, and utilizing his shiftiness with manufactured touches from jet passes and screens. On special teams, expect to get excited again when the Bears are receiving kicks because his blend of speed, vision, and balance is elite. Velus Jones Jr. could run all the way to the Pro Bowl in his rookie year if he can get consistent opportunities. Get used to seeing this on Sundays.
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