Bear Necessities: Rookie Velus Jones Jr. has impressed returning kicks

Bears STC Richard Hightower had praise for rookie kick returner Velus Jones: “He’s got really good acceleration and he’s got good vision.”

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Bears rookie Velus Jones Jr. has been impressing this summer with his speed and playmaking ability, whether that’s on offense or special teams.

In last Thursday’s preseason game, we caught a glimpse of the impact Jones can have in the return game. Jones returned both punts and kickoffs against the Seahawks, and it’s clear the team is trying to get the ball in his hands as often as possible.

Jones’ biggest play came on his second punt return of the game, when he fielded a punt at Chicago’s 19-yard line. Jones turned up his 4.3 speed and was able to elude tacklers before being brought down for a 48-yard punt return, which led to the Bears’ first touchdown of the game.

“He can go from zero to 10 in a hurry,” said special teams coordinator Richard Hightower. “He’s got really good acceleration and he’s got good vision. So, he’s just gotta keep working at it and he’ll get better the more he works at it. Those guys usually get more excited blocking for a guy they know has a chance to go to the house. They’re gonna block anyway, but there’s a little extra juice when you’ve got a guy back there that you know can make a play.”

Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like Jones will play in Saturday’s preseason finale as he was still sidelined during Thursday’s practice.

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