The Bears are running out of things they can trust Velus Jones to handle, and his recurring problems with ball security cost them big Sunday against the Titans.
While they rallied for a 24-17 victory, Jones’ muffed kick return late in the first quarter was part of why they had to dig out of a 17-0 hole in the first place.
The ball went through his arms at his own 3-yard line, then he inadvertently booted it about 20 yards upfield into a swarm of Titans. They kicked a field goal four plays later to go ahead 10-0.
The Bears immediately benched Jones from kick returns and replaced him with punt returner DeAndre Carter, who returned a kick 67 yards in his first opportunity.
Watch this ball roll. A muffed kick return gives Tennessee the ball back!
📺: #TENvsCHI on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/MqmAR44KRx
— NFL (@NFL) September 8, 2024
“I’ve caught a million of those, but it can happen that fast when you don’t look the ball in, and unfortunately, I kicked it,” Jones told the Sun-Times. “I took my eyes off it because I’m thinking house call every time I grab the ball. I was trying to look ahead to see which way I was gonna start running.
“I really was speechless. I’ve been returning kicks since I was a kid. You have to learn from your mistakes and don’t make the same mistake twice.”
This type of issue has happened more than twice.
Jones has fumbled or muffed on returns throughout his three seasons with the Bears, who drafted him in the third round in 2022. The Bears took him off punt returns last season when they signed veteran Trent Taylor and moved Jones from wide receiver to running back this year hoping to find a job he could manage.
They had Jones active Sunday over wide receiver Tyler Scott (a possible return man) and running back Roschon Johnson. Coach Matt Eberflus said he would evaluate Jones’ role going forward but was proud of him for being resilient.
“I wasn’t upset about it or anything like that,” Jones said. “Coach is gonna do what’s best for the team. It’s everybody’s job to protect the ball.”
Jones had two carries for 11 yards and caught one pass for eight.
Jones had two carries for 11 yards and caught one pass for eight.