The Chicago Bears took a hit at wide receiver this past week. Veteran Byron Pringle suffered a calf injury in the win over the Houston Texans. He has since gone on IR, meaning he’ll miss the next four weeks at least. That leaves Justin Fields light on potential targets. Matt Eberflus thankfully provided some hopeful news on Wednesday. He and the coaching staff are optimistic 3rd round pick Velus Jones will be ready to make his 2022 debut Sunday in New York.
Jones has battled a hamstring issue since late in the preseason. He finally started regularly practicing in a limited fashion last week. It was a strong indication that he could be ready to go against the Giants. The timing couldn’t be better. Chicago desperately needs more explosiveness in the passing game. Jones showcased some of that potential in the preseason win over Seattle. His speed alone will give opposing defenses pause.
Eberflus said the hope is Velus Jones Jr. will be available vs. NYG after missing the first 3 games with a hamstring injury. The Bears have had a plan for him to come back but have had to adjust it last few weeks. "He's been conditioning, working in there."
— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) September 28, 2022
Matt Eberflus can only hope Jones provides a spark.
For all the blame the wide receivers keep getting, it appears the real core of the Bears’ passing woes is Fields himself. Over the past two weeks, there have been too many instances where the young quarterback had receivers open but either failed to see them or missed them with inaccurate throws. It feels like he isn’t seeing things well and is constantly second-guessing himself. Maybe some extra juice from Jones might help.
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His calling card at Tennessee was running after the catch. Taking a short Fields throw for a long gain might be a great way to kickstart things. Matt Eberflus would love nothing better. He’s done a great job navigating the Bears to 2-1 with a strong ground game and reliable defense. However, even he knows they won’t be able to sustain this for 17 games without help from the quarterback. Fields helped scout Jones coming out of college. The two seem to have a solid bond already in place. It should be fun seeing it develop.
Might take at least a game to get the rust off the gears.
The first time we fake a jet sweep to Jones, Herbert is gonna bust one for 35 himself.
Very nice to hear. He can flip the field real quick in the return game. I am sure they have some jet sweeps in the call sheet for him as well. His natural chemistry/friendship with Fields can only help as well. If we can get a 25% boost in the pass game, to go with our strong run game, we have a good chance to beat some teams.
One of two things will happen by Game 5. Either Fields will start seeing the FIELD better (pun intended) or he will be labeled as another talented QB who can’t play from the pocket.
Go! Velus (to DA house)!!