Failed Bears draft pick gets the biggest opportunity of his career after being elevated for Super Bowl LX
Velus Jones Jr. will get a chance to see the field on Sunday.
Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles has had plenty of misses during his tenure with the team since being hired in 2022 but arguably the biggest miss came with Velus Jones Jr.
Jones was selected out of Tennessee by the Bears with the 71st overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, the first draft with Poles at the helm. Originally drafted as a wide receiver, Jones never latched on offensively in Chicago totaling 11 receptions for 127 yards and one touchdown in his first two seasons.
Where he offered a spark was with his ability to run with the ball in his hands. That enticed the Bears to line him up as a return specialist and eventually move him to running back ahead of the 2024 season. Chicago even turned down a trade offer for Jones just before that regular season.
However, the changes didn’t work out for Jones. In Week 1, Jones had a brutal fumble on kickoff and the team never gave him another opportunity, ultimately cutting him by the end of October. Jones finished out the 2024 season with the Jacksonville Jaguars and eventually with the Carolina Panthers, with both teams continuing to work him at the running back position.
“It was the most relieving thing ever with my mental health, no spotlight being on you,” Jones told the Chicago Sun-Times. “When I got to Jacksonville, I had some of the best practices of my life.”
Jones spent the start of the 2025 season with the New Orleans Saints and then joined the Seattle Seahawks practice squad after being waived in October. And now he’s getting prepared for the biggest opportunity of his career.
Seahawks elevate Velus Jones Jr. off the practice squad for Super Bowl LX
On Sunday, the Seahawks will be facing off against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX and one of the last minute roster moves included elevating Jones off the practice squad for Sunday’s game. It will be Jones’ fifth game in action since signing with Seattle.
The Seahawks also elevated running back Cam Akers, giving the offense two more players to potentially mix in the backfield with Kenneth Walker III and George Holani. During the team’s divisional round win over the San Francisco 49ers, the Seahawks backfield had a major blow when Zach Charbonnet suffered a torn ACL.
That injury opens the door for Akers and Jones to potentially get some playing time in the big game. In four games since joining the Seahawks, Jones has played 18 offensive snaps and 58 special teams snaps to give you an idea of how much he could play on Sunday.
Stat-wise, Jones has carried the ball 10 times for 42 yards with two special teams tackles with the Seahawks. He has not returned the ball, either on kickoff or punt return, since joining the team.
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