The Velus Jones Jr. era has finally come to an end in Chicago.
On October 25, the Bears announced they waived Jones, also releasing veteran fullback Khari Blasingame. The moves come just as three players — defensive end Jacob Martin, swing tackle Larry Borom and running back Travis Homer — could be set to return.
Martin, Borom and Homer each practiced at some point leading up to the team’s Week 8 showdown against the Washington Commanders, so expect two of the three to get activated on game day.
It’s likely Homer will fill the void left by Blasingame, as Homer can fill a similar role on both offense and special teams. It remains to be seen whether he’ll be one of the players returning the active roster, however.
Bears Tried Everything Before Releasing Velus Jones
Drafted by the Bears in the third round in 2022, expectations surrounding Jones were initially high, especially given his speed and potential as both a receiver and a return specialist. Despite these attributes, he struggled to make a significant impact on offense. His role was mainly on special teams, where he led the Bears in kickoff return yards (27.2 yards per return) in 2023.
That’s not to say the Bears didn’t try to utilize him on offense.
“He’s going to be a guy for us that we can use in multiple ways,” Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said about Jones in August, prior to the start of the 2024 regular season.
“We can put him in the backfield, we can spread him out, we can do a lot of different things and that’s a team need, a benefit. Trying to defend that when he comes into the game is a little bit different than just a normal type of receiver or a guy that can line up in the backfield.”
Fumbles Ultimately Did Jones In
Alas, it wasn’t meant to be. Despite showing flashes of athleticism, consistency eluded Jones, particularly when it came to turning the ball over. Fumbles have been a persistent issue since his rookie year. Heading into 2024, the Bears explored a transition for Jones into a running back role to potentially leverage his speed differently. The hope was that he could finally take a leap. Unfortunately, after a costly Week 1 fumble, Jones’ playing time began to dwindle.
Instead of keeping him around only to make him a healthy scratch on Sundays, the Bears opted to part ways. It was always a long shot for Jones, particularly at running back, as the Bears have D’Andre Swift, Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson filling out the RBs room.
Jones finished with 12 receptions for 135 yards and a receiving score, 19 carries for 165 yards and a rushing TD, averaging 8.7 yards per carry, also returning 44 kicks for 1,077 yards.
Bears Also Part Ways With FB Khari Blasingame
Known for his blocking skills and reliability in short-yardage scenarios, Blasingame had occasionally filled in as an emergency running back, especially when injuries affected the Bears’ RB rotation.
Chicago inked him to an extension in March of 2023. Blasingame had a $1.55 million cap hit this year, but his usage has been limited so far. After appearing in 16 games in both 2022 and 2023, he has played in just two games and 8% of the team’s offensive snaps this season.
It’s likely first-year offensive coordinator Shane Waldron couldn’t find a place for Blasingame in his scheme.
Now, both Blasingame and Jones are now free agents, available to sign with other teams. It’ll be interesting to see where they land.
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