Velus Jones Jr. to sign with Jacksonville Jaguars after Chicago Bears release

After the Chicago Bears released him last week, Velus Jones Jr. is set to sign with the Jacksonville Jaguars, The 33rd Team’s Ari Merov reported. The former USC and Tennessee standout had an up-and-down go during his time in Chicago.

The Bears selected Jones in the third round out of Tennessee in the 2022 NFL Draft. He served as the top target for Hendon Hooker on Rocky Top as a senior, totaling 807 receiving yards and seven touchdowns as well as one kickoff return touchdown that year. He also spent four years at USC, where he had 347 receiving yards and a touchdown to go with a kickoff return score.

Jones played both wide receiver and kick returner in Chicago, although he struggled in the latter phase. He had three fumbles during his first year with the Bears and had another one in the season opener this year against the Tennessee Titans, leading the franchise to move on from Jones as its return man.

This year, though, Jones was making a position switch. Because of his speed, the Bears tried him at running back during the preseason – which turned into a major storyline on Hard Knocks. But as the season got underway, Jones’ role started to diminish and he found himself as a healthy scratch multiple times before his release.

All told, during his three seasons in Chicago, Jones had 135 receiving yards and a touchdown along with 165 rushing yards and a touchdown in the running game. The Bears waived him last week before eventually granting his release ahead of a Week 8 matchup against the Washington Commanders.

The Jaguars are dealing with a slew of injuries at the wide receiver position, which could be a reason why they decided to sign Velus Jones Jr. Christian Kirk will miss the rest of the year with a broken collarbone suffered last week against the Green Bay Packers and Brian Thomas Jr. is day-to-day with bruised ribs. Thomas could still play this week against the Eagles, though.