The Chicago Bears made some roster moves on Friday in anticipation of several names returning from Injured Reserve. Two prominent players were released to clear spots. One was fullback Khari Blasingame, who found a reduced role in Shane Waldron’s new offense. Health setbacks probably didn’t help his case, either. By far the bigger story is the one joining him on the way out. Velus Jones, the team’s former 3rd round pick in 2022, was also cut. This is something fans have pushed for going back a year, feeling the wide receiver wasn’t doing anything to earn his spot. At last, the experiment is over.
GM Ryan Poles was a big fan of Jones coming out of Tennessee, loving his mix of size and speed. Despite being on the older side for a draft prospect, it was felt he had the versatility to be a weapon for the Bears offense. Though Jones became a fixture as a kick returner, his constant failure to consistently catch the ball haunted him. He suffered from multiple drops on offense and multiple muffs on punt returns. His strong preseason led many in the organization to hope he was turning a corner. Then, a brutal muff on a kickoff against the Titans sealed his fate. He was benched in favor of DeAndre Carter and never got playing time again.
One key fact makes this Chicago Bears move even worse.
Hard Knocks revealed that Poles had been getting calls from other teams about a trade for Jones. The GM chose to pass, too encouraged by what he’d seen in the preseason. No doubt he wishes he’d taken advantage of that opportunity. Plenty of Chicago Bears fans are sure to let him hear about it in the coming weeks. No team bats perfect in the draft. There will always be misfires. The frustrating part about Jones is many didn’t feel he was worth going that high, even at the time. He was too old and too unproven. Abraham Lucas, Brian Robinson, Kerby Joseph, and Romeo Doubs were all names that went after him. Hopefully Poles took a lesson from this blunder.
