Has Velus Jones Jr. fumbled away his chance to make an impact with the Bears?

The final stretch of games in any season for a team out of the playoff mix is most important for backups who get a chance to make a statement about their role for the following year. In the case of the Chicago Bears rookie third-round pick Velus Jones Jr., his opportunity to stake his claim as a factor in next season’s wide receiver corps was huge in Week 15.

Jones was one of just a handful of healthy Bears wide receivers in Sunday’s game. Chase Claypool, Darnell Mooney, and N’Keal Harry didn’t suit up, and Equanimeous St. Brown exited the contest during the team’s first possession. That left Jones, Dante Pettis, and Byron Pringle as the primary targets for QB Justin Fields.

The former Tennessee Volunteer responded with one catch for three yards and a potentially career-altering fumble.

2c. Their biggest busts tend to come from the mideast, midwest, or northeast regions.

Kevin White (West Virginia)
Mark Bradley (Oklahoma)
Juanquin Iglesias (Oklahoma)
Velus Jones (Tennessee)*
Anthony Miller (Memphis)
David Terrell (Michigan)

The #Bears must switch strategies. pic.twitter.com/7NMqvwouZ6

— Erik Lambert (@ErikLambert1) December 19, 2022

Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports

Matt Eberflus isn’t a fan of fumbling

I know it’s harsh to suggest a fumble in the 14th game of his rookie season could doom Jones’ future with the Bears, but it’s the truth. Jones put two punts on the ground earlier in the year, which led to a lack of trust from the coaching staff and an inactive game status for a few weeks. With his costly fumble against the Eagles, Jones may have run out of time to re-establish that trust in 2022.

“I don’t like that,” Eberflus said after the game. “I don’t like it. I don’t like when guys lose the football. It’s not good. Guys have to do a better job securing the ball.”

Jones better get comfortable in Eberflus” doghouse. He won’t be leaving for a while.

“Again, I’ll look at the tape. But when you’re in traffic, you have to have five points of pressure on the ball and put your (indiscernible) over the other hand,” Eberflus said. “That’s an important piece to it. Like I said, we’ll look at it and see where it is.”

Daniel Bartel -USA TODAY Sports

Velus Jones Jr. looks like a 2022 NFL draft miss

Jones has been one of the Bears” biggest disappointments in 2022. He has four catches for 27 yards, seven carries for 48 yards, and one touchdown in the nine games he’s played. Chicago was heavily criticized for picking Jones in the third round, and now it appears that criticism was warranted.

“We’ll look at it.,’ Eberflus said. ‘Again, he’s got to stay encouraged. He’s got to keep working and do the right things. I know he can do it right. We’ll coach him to do it that way.”

It’s too early to give up on Velus Jones Jr. completely, but it’s also not an overreaction to suggest he must earn his playing time moving forward. He’ll no longer benefit from draft pedigree and raw athletic ability. Jones has to prove he belongs on the field and may have to wait until 2023’s training camp to launch that campaign.