Bears News: Eberflus on performances of Velus Jones, Reddy Steward after preseason win |
CHICAGO - The Chicago Bears have officially finished the preseason undefeated after they took down the Kansas City Chiefs 34-21 with four different players scoring touchdowns for Chicago.
Overall, head coach Matt Eberflus was satisfied with what he saw, but he said the team is not quite ready for the regular season yet. “I thought the guys performed (Thursday) like they’ve performed all throughout not only the games but in the practices. So, I’ve always said that (what) you see in the games is what you see in practice every single day out there, and the guys have really given tremendous effort,” Eberflus said. “We’re trying to get ourselves in mental and physical elite condition, and we are not there yet. So, we’re getting better. We’re getting close. But, that just shows you at the back end of the roster the guys bought into that, and that’s what you saw (Thursday).” One person who most likely saved his roster spot like night was Velus Jones Jr. After starting his NFL career as a wide receiver and kick returner, Jones Jr. had the opportunity against Kansas City to show what he is capable of as a running back, and he did not disappoint, finishing the night with 111 rushing yards, including a 39-yard touchdown. “Velus Jones, obviously, had a couple of nice breakout runs. But he doesn’t do that without his offensive line and the perimeter blocking. Obviously, Velus is very fast and be able to (turn) it into a touchdown,” Eberflus said. “He’s explosive. He’s got good lean mass. He can knock it forward. So he’s done some really good things … Moving him to that new position, we wanted to see all the reps we can at that position - protecting, going out of routes, running the ball like he did. So, we wanted to get another look at him, and he put a really good foot forward (Thursday).” .@ChicagoBears @VelusJr sure looks like a natural at RB....Everyone knows he is big and fast...but he didnt miss a a lane all night...and his eyes and quickness were excellent. Is he RB #??? #dabears @BaldyNFL #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/K4BonAhbNJ Receiver Tyler Scott also had a very good performance, with six catches for 99 yards. All three quarterbacks who appeared in the game against the Chiefs—Tyson Bagent, Brett Rypien, and rookie Austin Reed—also played well. This has led to some speculation that Chicago will attempt to keep all four quarterbacks, potentially putting two of them on the practice squad. While Eberflus did not comment on that, he did say that all four of the Bears' quarterbacks currently on the roster have been surrounded by strong coaches who have helped them develop. “You think about (quarterbacks coach) Kerry Joseph, (offensive coordinator) Shane (Waldron), all the guys that are in that quarterback room have done a really good job of training those guys in the system that’s new,” Eberflus said. “So, you can see those guys going through the progressions. It doesn’t matter if it’s Reed if it’s Rypien if it’s (rookie) Caleb (Williams), the guys are being taught and drilled the right way, and it’s really good to see throughout the entire thing.” There was a scare with cornerback Douglas Coleman III after he was taken to the hospital and evaluated for concussion near the beginning of the second half. Thankfully, he has been released from the hospital. But one thing that excited Chicago’s defense was rookie cornerback Reddy Steward's two interceptions. Steward returned one of those picks for a touchdown. For an undrafted player like Steward, those picks may have gotten him a spot on the roster, if not with Chicago, at least with someone in the league. “In that particular coverage down there, you don’t want to back up, and (Steward) didn’t and did a really nice job of moving (laterally) in front of the passing lane and stepped in front of the one down there in the red zone,” Eberflus said. “The other one was just generated by the pressure. So, it was good.” While there were many positives to take from this game, it also highlighted the Bears' lack of defensive tackle depth. Throughout the offseason and preseason, there has been talk about Chicago needing to acquire a pass rusher to go alongside edge rusher Montez Sweat. As seen in the third episode of Hard Knocks, general manager Ryan Poles attempted to acquire defensive end Matt Judon but required Judon to sign a contract extension if the trade was going to happen. Since that did not happen, the Bears traded for linebacker Darrell Taylor from the Seattle Seahawks and gave Seattle a sixth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Taylor had his most productive season in 2022 when he recorded 9.5 sacks, forced four fumbles, and had 13 quarterback hits. His four forced fumbles were third in the league that season. Chicago will have to narrow their roster down to 53 people by Tues. Aug. 27 at 3 p.m. and will then have their season opener against the Tennessee Titans on Sun. Sept. 8 (Noon / FOX).
