The Chicago Bears have been among the most active teams on the trade market for the past week. They started by sending a 6th round pick to Seattle for pass rusher Darrell Taylor, then sent another 6th rounder to Cleveland for defensive tackle Chris Williams and a 7th rounder. GM Ryan Poles has made it clear the phone lines are open. While the idea of the Bears acquiring another player seems unlikely at this point, there is the possibility they will ship out one of their own for some extra draft capital.
ESPN revealed one name that could be in that category. With strong depth at both running back and wide receiver, the Bears may choose to deal former 3rd round pick Velus Jones to an interested team seeking help at either position, along with his obvious kick return prowess.
Velus Jones, RB/WR, Bears
Financial obligation: $1.2 million in 2024
Why: He’s in the middle of the dreaded positional switch.
When the Bears used the No. 71 pick on Jones in the 2022 draft, their starting wide receivers in three-wide sets were projected to be Darnell Mooney, Byron Pringle and Equanimeous St. Brown. The hope was Jones could chip in as a playmaker and elite return man, but he had more carries (17) than catches (11) over his first two seasons.
Now, with the depth chart at wide receiver consisting of Keenan Allen, DJ Moore and Rome Odunze, Jones’ days as a receiver in Chicago are numbered. DeAndre Carter, acquired this offseason, might also be in position to take over on returns. Seemingly on an accelerated version of the Cordarrelle Patterson career path, Jones has been moved to running back this preseason, where he has 25 carries for a team-high 158 yards. I don’t think any franchise would be going after the 27-year-old to serve as its primary back, but with the potential for added value in the return game, a team could justify sending a late-round pick to add Jones and his 27.4 career yards per return for special-teams help.
They gave him every opportunity to develop as a wide receiver. He quite literally dropped the ball on that. This position switch was meant to see if he had anything to offer outside of kick return duties. It appears that is the case. However, the Bears already have quality options at running back with D’Andre Swift, Khalil Herbert, and Roschon Johnson. It is hard to see Jones slotting there unless they’re ready to cut Herbert. It is possible Jones still sticks because of his return value. Nobody else on the roster, including DeAndre Carter, is as explosive on kickoffs as him.
It would likely come down to compensation. If another team is willing to offer the Chicago Bears a 5th round pick, that might be enough to convince them to make the deal. That is unlikely, though. Everything comes down to how the team feels about their kick return situation. Jones should be safe if they don’t think there is a better option. As of now, all signs point to him surviving another year.
