The Bears apparently are benching rookie wide receiver and return man Velus Jones today against the Dolphins.
Jones is inactive despite not appearing on the injury report this week. He had two runs for 33 yards and one catch for five yards against the Cowboys last week.
After a turbulent week in which they traded away linebacker Roquan Smith and acquired wide receiver Chase Claypool, the Bears have a challenging home game against the Dolphins today.
Claypool is active and will make his team debut, though Bears coaches have cautioned that his handle on the playbook is limited after arriving Wednesday morning. Wide receivers coach Tyke Tolbert said Claypool will have a specific list of plays, and depending on how often the Bears call those, he could play 10-30 snaps.
Here are the Bears’ inactives:
WR Velus Jones
OL Alex Leatherwood
OL Ja’Tyre Carter
TE Jake Tonges
DB Lamar Jackson
The Bears started 2-1 but have dropped four of their last five games. They’re coming off a 49-29 blowout loss to the Cowboys.
Quarterback Justin Fields is on the best four-game run of his career. During that span, he has completed 64.1% of his passes, posted a 97.6 passer rating and put up a combined 251.3 yards passing and rushing per game.
The Dolphins, meanwhile, are fighting for a playoff spot at 5-3 and traded for pass rusher Bradley Chubb and running back Jeff Wilson to improve their chances. They had narrow victories over the Steelers and Lions the last two weeks.
After this game, the schedule lightens up for the Bears with a Week 10 home game against the Lions (1-6) and Falcons (4-4).
