The 2021 offseason was full of plenty of surprises for the Chicago Bears. One that kind of got lost in the shuffle is the return of Christian Jones. He was such a cool story. An undrafted free agent in 2014, he worked his way into the starting lineup and was a quality starter by 2017. That final year he had his best overall season, going for 90 tackles, two sacks, and a forced fumble.
Sadly his time in Chicago ended after that. He decided to depart for a new contract in Detroit that 2018 offseason. The Bears filled the void by drafting Roquan Smith in the 1st round. Jones remained a steady player for the Lions. Unfortunately, the teams he played on were bad. Having just turned 30 in February, he knew the arrival of a new GM and head coach meant his status on the roster was in doubt.
On March 8th, he was indeed released.
However, it turns out a simple twist of fate may have helped him without even realizing it. That same month of February according to Larry Mayer of Chicagobears.com, Jones attended the wedding of his friend and former teammate Deon Bush. That gave him a chance to reconnect with some of his old buddies. When he became available the next month, it’s fair to wonder if Bears management were urged to bring him home.
When he reconnected with a few former Bears teammates at safety Deon Bush’s wedding in February, Christian Jones had no idea he’d be rejoining them in Chicago.
The veteran linebacker remained under contract with the Lions at the time. But he was released by Detroit less than three weeks later and decided to return for a second stint with the Bears, signing a one-year contract.
“It was cool to be able to catch up with those guys, just talk about how they’re doing in their lives,” Jones said. “Just a month later I found out I was coming here, so it was crazy.”
The timing seemed rather perfect. Chicago had depth questions at inside linebacker going into this offseason. They were also deciding to return to a more Vic Fangio-style scheme after two years under Chuck Pagano. Jones played his best football under Fangio and doesn’t seem to mind accepting a backup slot. Especially since he’s likely to see action on special teams anyway. It was an easy sell from both sides.
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Christian Jones may have one small other reason to return
It is often the simplest motivation of all in this sport. Revenge. Jones played solid football for an otherwise bad defense in Detroit. He was never really their primary issue. So for them to cut him loose so unceremoniously had to sting a little bit. In his eyes, returning to Chicago served two purposes. A chance to join a top defense and a familiar setting he knows well and also a chance to get back at his former team.
Most people probably don’t have the Bears’ matchup with Detroit in Week 4 circled on their calendars. One can safely assume Christian Jones will. He’s actually played some of his best games against them. As a rookie in 2014, he had 11 tackles and a sack. Then in 2017, he had eight tackles and a sack. While he may not likely see a ton of action on defense unless somebody gets hurt, he’ll have chance to make noise on special teams.
All it would take is one big play to make everything worth it.
That aside, having Jones back is comforting. His experience is quite valuable considering how little the Bears have behind Smith and Danny Trevathan. Josh Woods and Joel Iyiegbuniwe don’t offer much. Jones offers some nice counterbalance to their youth and energy. He’ll still have to make the roster though. The team isn’t likely to just hand him the job out of kindness.