Velus Jones Perfectly Placed to Succeed

The Chicago Bears put Velus Jones at various points in their offense with impressive results during OTAs and minicamps, and have also positioned him within the locker room to make an immediate impact.

The Justin Fields connection with wide receiver Darnell Mooney has become widely known.

Now, it seems the Bears quarterback will have the chance to build a relationship with rookie Velus Jones. Their lockers are next to each other, and it's not the only way Jones has been put into position to make plays.

"Man, honestly it's been a good time," Jones said. "Not even just football-wise. Him sitting right next to me, us having normal conversations and stuff. Picking each other's brains and stuff like that.

THE JUSTIN FIELDS-DARNELL MOONEY CONNECTION WORKS IT OUT

"Makes it a whole lot easier. I feel like that's part of the connection as well, knowing who your quarterback is outside of football. That makes things much easier when I go to practice as well. He's depending on me. A lot of guys are depending on me. I'm going to have their backs and do what I can to keep stride in this offense."

The veterans are expecting plenty from Jones already.

0 to 💯 real quick pic.twitter.com/rm0Mv4Sj9V

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) June 9, 2022

"There's a lot of guys that are going to bring some good things to the table," Mooney sad. "One guy, Velus, man. When he gets the ball, y'all are going to see. He can fly. He can be a playmaker for sure for us."

Jones is already trying to fit in with the playmaker sect in the Bears offense. He's going to work with Fields, Mooney and whoever else shows up in Atlanta during the five weeks rookies are away from the team before training camp.

It's plenty of responsibility for a rookie to be viewed by veterans as a potential immediate difference maker.

"I would say it definitely has a positive impact, because I like to manifest a lot," Jones said. "Before I go to sleep, looking over plays, I like to picture myself running a route, or catching a touchdown. So, I'm big on manifesting.

"So, you know, I can picture a lot of great things this season, even on certain plays or certain routes, thrown by Justin. I definitely know that I'm not going to let them down. I'm definitely going to be that player they drafted, that guy who's good with yards after the catch, the guy that makes plays out of nothing, so I'm definitely going to bring that to the table."

Hooker to Velus Jones Jr

TOUCHDOWN TENNESSEE

28-0 pic.twitter.com/Qac2c4eseT

— Clad In Big Orange (@JamesOSaile) October 9, 2021

Jone has worked at particular aspects of his route running during OTAs and minicamp to improve his playmaking chances.

 "I would say in and out of cuts, I've just really been focusing on dropping my hips," he said. "Cuts are way easier when you're actually focused on dropping your hips and having your chest out over your knees. And so that's something I’ve really been working on. And I've been really improving on that, and it shows on film when we watch over it, how quickly I'm getting in and out of cuts, and I feel like that's a huge advantage on my side, just knowing what I can do when I get the ball in my hands. So I’m going to keep working on that."

Coaches have tested his versatility. It was one of his selling points on draft day and a prerequisite for receivers in this attack.

"I've been moving around quite a bit, especially in the OTA period," Jones said. "I had a good amount of balls thrown my way. That's just boosted my confidence level in this offense as I continue to work on that.

"That's a good feeling."

They'll all be feeling a lot better if Jones delivers during his rookie year, as hoped.

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven