Former Bears draft pick gets another shot at the NFL with Saints
The New Orleans Saints kept busy through the weekend and added another free agent to the mix -- ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reports the Saints are signing Velus Jones Jr., the former Chicago Bears draft pick who ended last season with the Carolina Panthers. He also spent time with the Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad in 2024.
Jones, 27, was picked in the third round of the 2022 draft after playing college football at USC and Tennessee. While his official position is listed at wide receiver, the Bears moved Jones to running back last summer in an effort to get him going on offense. He's appeared in 29 games but totaled more rushing yards (165 on 20 carries) than receiving yards (135 on 12 catches, from 22 targets).
He's best known for his work as a returns specialist. While Jones has gained just 35 yards on five punt returns in his three-year career, he's done better on kick returns, with a 1,061 yards gained on 40 tries (an average of 26.5 yards per return). But he needs to work on his ball security with muffed three returns in his career.
Expect Jones to compete with Dante Pettis in the return game. The new coaching staff may reduce Rashid Shaheed's workload in the game's third phase given his importance to the offense, so it makes sense to have someone in the building who can be trusted to field punts and kickoffs. That might end up being Jones.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Saints sign Bears draft bust, kick returns specialist Velus Jones Jr.
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