Getty Bears wide receiver Velus Jones Jr.
Velus Jones Jr. is certainly bringing the fire to his second training camp as he fights to ensure his place on the Chicago Bears’ roster for the 2023 season.
According to ESPN’s Courtney Cronin, Jones got into a “shoving match” with the defense following an incomplete pass down the sideline at Wednesday’s practice. Pat the Designer, host of The Chicago Bears Podcast for ESPN Chicago, elaborated that Jones was upset with a hard hit and subsequent celebration from strong safety Jaquan Brisker and threw “punches” afterward before teammates broke things up.
Punches thrown By Velus Jones At #Bears Camp After a Hard Hit and Celebration from Jaquan Brisker after a Pass Break Up
While fights are not uncommon during camp competitions and don’t necessarily signal something problematic for the players involved, Jones does not have to roster security to make many mistakes in his second camp with the Bears. He is in desperate need of a bounce-back campaign in 2023 after a largely disappointing rookie season in which he caught just seven receptions and was demoted from his role as a return specialist.
The Bears have added D.J. Moore, Chase Claypool (at last year’s trade deadline) and fourth-round rookie Tyler Scott to their receiving corps since Jones’ first camp in 2022. They also return all three of their primary contributors — Darnell Mooney, Dante Pettis and Equanimeous St. Brown — from last season, giving Jones far more competition for his role on the 53-man roster coming into the new year.
If Jones can convincingly earn the returner job, he could be safe from roster cuts, but it will be hard to consider him off the roster bubble until he stands out for better reasons.
Velus Jones Looks ‘More Comfortable’ as Returner
The Bears are still early in the camp process and only just put on the pads this week, but the early returns from Jones heading into his second year have been encouraging, at least in the opinion of special teams coordinator Richard Hightower.
Hightower praised Jones for using the offseason to increase his catch load in terms of the practice he was getting fielding punts, which was something he said he encouraged but that Jones also took upon himself to get done. He also said that Jones “looks more comfortable as a returner” in the work he has done since camp began last week.
“I just see a change in the human being from Year 1 to Year 2. He’s catching the ball better and he’s finishing better and he’s all around a better football player this time of year than he was last year coming in, so that’s all we can ask for,” Hightower said.
Jones committed three fumbles during his rookie season with the Bears, two of which occurred in a three-game stretch while he was acting as their primary return specialist. He was benched from punt duties entirely after his second fumble was recovered by the Washington Commanders at the 1-yard line, setting them up for a go-ahead touchdown midway through the fourth quarter in their Week 6 matchup in Chicago.
Fortunately, Hightower has seen a change in one of the key areas that gave Jones trouble during his rookie season. He is no longer overthinking catching the ball and is instead reading the field in order to have a better chance at making plays on the return. And with smoother catches come fewer muffed returns.
“I think he’s thinking the next thing now [as a returner]. Where is the gunner at? What is the situation? What does that look like? Do I have 10 or more yards to make a play now?” Hightower said. “Versus, ‘I’ve gotta make sure I catch, I’ve gotta make sure I catch it, all eyes on me.’ So, I’ve just seen maturity in that way with him.”
Tyler Scott Could Challenge Velus Jones for Return Job
Jones might be showing improvement, but he is not the only young wide receiver the Bears have competing for the right to be their starting punt returner.
Scott, the fourth-round rookie, has also been taking reps with the punt return group since OTAs and figures to be one of Jones’ top challengers for the job along with Pettis. He has particularly impressed Hightower with his speed, having run a 4.44-second time in the 40-yard dash at March’s NFL Scouting Combine, and has caught the attention of several reporters in attendance for his natural hands when catching punts.
Trenton Gill just dropped a sweet coffin corner punt. #Bears
Rookie Tyler Scott looks very comfortable fielding punts.
“Tyler Scott, he’s fast, man. That guy is fast. I love his speed, I love the fact that he is so dialed in,” Hightower said Monday. “Every time a correction is made, he never makes the same mistake, so I love that about him because it tells me that it’s important to him and that he wants to be the best. And then obviously, he is a quick-twitch athlete, he is great at short areas and everything we’ve asked him to do, he’s going above and beyond to try and get that done.”
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Bears WR on Roster Bubble Gets Into Fight at Practice: Report