It is never wise to make definite assumptions about a player before playing an NFL snap. Still, first impressions can often be real. If a player wastes no time turning heads in practice, it often translates to games more often than people think. That is why the growing buzz surrounding Velus Jones is so interesting. Draft critics were quick to pan the 3rd round pick by the
Chicago Bears because he only had one year of solid production and was turning 25-years-old.
Ryan Poles reached badly on that one.
That didn't seem to bother the young GM too much. He trusted his evaluation, feeling Jones offered certain dimensions the Bears offense was missing. A big part is his speed. Most notable is the ability to turn short passes into long gains. Every time he gets the football, he's a threat to score. By most accounts, those traits are already showing up in practice. One person that couldn't contain his excitement was insider Adam Jahns of The Athletic. He explained on the
Hoge & Jahns podcast that early or not, what he's seeing from Jones has far exceeded expectations.
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Understand that Jahns is not prone to such statements.
History shows he tends to take a somewhat neutral approach when assessing players in practice. So for him to single
Velus Jones like that is not insignificant. What he is seeing doesn't classify as normal. The rookie is doing things that can't be passed off as lucky. Most of the Bears' starting defense is working at those practices, and the rookie is still making plays. Hearing that about a wide receiver is unusual for this team.
Then again, it shouldn't be. If people recall, the same things were said about
Darnell Mooney back in 2020. That ended up working out pretty well for them. If Jones can follow a similar trajectory, the Bears passing game might be in business for the first time in years. Justin Fields defended his new group of targets, and evidence continues to grow he was justified in doing so.
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