Several subplots came out of last week against the Miami Dolphins. Obviously, Justin Fields was the biggest, along with the debut of Chase Claypool and the continued struggles of the defense. That made it easy to gloss over one of the bigger surprises of the weekend when Matt Eberflus and the coaches deactivated Velus Jones. The rookie wide receiver was declared inactive despite being healthy. Not exactly the vote of confidence fans want to see for a 3rd round pick.
Eberflus was finally asked about it on Wednesday ahead of the Detroit Lions game. Rather than give casual assurances that Jones would be fine, the Bears’ head coach was surprisingly blunt. He stated unequivocally that Jones wasn’t going to be handed anything. He’s in a crowded wide receiver room now with Claypool’s arrival and the looming return of Byron Pringle. If he wants to see the field, he will have to earn it in practice by making more plays.
Matt Eberflus continues to uphold his original pitch.
Everybody on the roster is held to the same standard. It doesn’t matter what their background is. If they don’t perform to that standard, they don’t play. The fact is Jones hasn’t done enough to warrant playing time. He muffed two punts in losses to New York and Washington at crucial times. Then he dropped what should’ve been a huge pass from Fields against Dallas that might have changed the trajectory of that game.
It isn’t hard to see why Matt Eberflus chose to bench him. They’ve given the rookie every opportunity to make something happen. Each one has quite literally slipped through his fingers. When coaches sense they can’t trust a player, they aren’t going to play him. There is no denying Jones is a talented athlete. That doesn’t mean much if he can’t consistently catch the ball. He will have to work hard to fix that. Until then, the Bears will give opportunities to others that have earned them.
Subscribe to the BFR Youtube channel and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
