VIDEO: Velus Jones Fulfills His Prophecy With TD Catch

Velus Jones stated days before the game in Minnesota that he was going to make his first catch of the 2022 season on Sunday. Not only that, but he even predicted it would be a touchdown. People laughed. That was just a boisterous rookie psyching himself up after a difficult previous week in New York. It appears nobody is laughing anymore. Jones fulfilled his promise, taking a shuffle pass from Justin Fields nine yards to score on the Vikings in the 3rd quarter. It was a perfect demonstration of his speed and after-the-catch ability. He even said that was the kind of play it would be.

“I FEEL LIKE OPEN FIELD, YARDS AFTER CATCH IN THE OPEN FIELD, I’M BREAKING. OR I FEEL LIKE RED ZONE, SOMEBODY’S IN MY WAY AND I RUN THROUGH THEM.”

That is nothing short of amazing. People are quick to rag on the Chicago Bears’ young draft class but they’ve managed to make some nice plays through the first few weeks. Kyler Gordon got in on the fun shortly after with a big field goal block. There is still work to do before Jones becomes what the Bears need him to be, but it’s nice to see he is the versatile weapon they were hoping for.

Velus Jones has ability. It’s all about polishing his techniques.

The hardest part of succeeding in the NFL is mastering the art of route running. Not every receiver can do it. Jones admitted it was something he needed time to learn in college. To his credit, he showed lots of progress during his final year at Tennessee. Now it appears the Bears will look to get him gradually more involved as the season progresses. If he takes the steps necessary, he can be a genuine threat in the passing game.

GM Ryan Poles no doubt liked what he saw. He was a big fan of Velus Jones leading up to the draft. Plenty of people hounded him publicly for not addressing the receiver position sooner. That play might get some of them off his back. At least for the time being. Jones no doubt awaits his next opportunity.