Luke Getsy on Velus Jones Jr.: ‘He has a chance to score every time he touches the ball’

The Chicago Bears’ wide receivers haven’t had a fun offseason. They’ve been the target of criticism and have been dubbed one of the worst receiving corps in the NFL. It’s an opinion that has some merit, considering only Darnell Mooney is an established starter. It’s also an opinion that offensive coordinator Luke Getsy disagrees with.

“Of course everybody wants Davante Adams,” Getsy said Sunday. “But Davante wasn’t Davante until he became Davante. I think the system will enable some of these guys to play at their potential. We’ll give them an opportunity to show what they’ve got.”

Adams was a second-round pick of the Green Bay Packers in 2014. The Bears were predicted to select a wideout in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft to strengthen their depth chart of pass-catchers but opted instead to upgrade the secondary. In the third round, General Manager Ryan Poles selected Velus Jones Jr., the dynamic offensive weapon from Tennessee who’s expected to do big things in Chicago’s offense this season.

“He’s a physically mature dude,” Getsy said of Jones. “He can handle this league — you can see that already. The speed just jumped at you on the tape. When that guy gets the ball in his hands, he looks like 4.3 on the field. Not many guys can do that, and that is what stood out about this guy. He has a chance to score every time he touches the ball.”

Velus Jones Jr., Bears WRs building chemistry with Justin Fields

The Bears haven’t had a wide receiver with Velus Jones Jr.”s field-flipping ability in quite some time, and while his selection was criticized by draft pundits as a reach at No. 71 overall, Chicago’s brass doesn’t see it that way. He’ll be a big part of the passing game that’s in its early stages of getting quarterback Justin Fields on the same page as his new cast of receivers.

“It’s just that experience of playing with the quarterback and teaching him the body languages, the signals you want to send to him when you’re ready to make a break,” Getsy said. “You can see that happening every single day, how much more comfortable these guys are getting and how comfortable Justin is getting with those guys.”

Mooney will begin the 2022 season as the clear WR1, with Pringle and Jones the favorites to fill the other outside and slot roles. It’s a top-three that lacks a fantasy football favorite, but it’d be wrong to suggest it lacks the potential to be a productive group. Mooney and Jones are 4.3 guys, and Pringle isn’t far behind. When factoring the size of Equanimeous St. Brown, Chicago’s four primary wide receivers have traits that often lead to success.

A good wide receiver group is one that’s built like a basketball team. Each player should have a specific skill set or trait that complements the others, like a good starting five on the hardwood. The Bears built that this offseason despite the lacking star power.

“That’s what the whole offense is built around, the versatility of everyone,” Getsy said. “We want guys that can do a bunch of different things. We don’t want just one guy that can run down the field … (or) one guy that can run a choice route.”