Matt Eberflus explains why Velus Jones Jr. earned spot on Bears roster

While he got plenty of attention on "Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Chicago Bears" with his nickname as "Ferret King," because of his pet ferret in college, Velus Jones Jr. faced an uphill battle all preseason. After converting from wide receiver to running back this summer, Jones officially made the 53-man roster on Tuesday after shining when given the opportunity.

This preseason, Jones rushed for a total of 158 yards and two touchdowns, including the preseason finale which saw him make a statement to be on the roster with 111 rushing yards and one touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs. With the Bears already having D'Andre Swift, Khalil Herbert, and Roschon Johnson entrenched as the top running backs, Jones will bring a different type of weapon to the offense when called upon.

On Wednesday, head coach Matt Eberflus spoke to the media and was asked about why Jones made the cut on the roster and what his role will be in 2024.

"He made it just by his efforts, and the production he had in practice, in the preseason games, and his willingness to be able to adjust and adapt and then be able to get that done in terms of his performance," Eberflus said. "I commend the coaches for doing a wonderful job in that, Chad [Morton], Jennifer [King], Chris [Beatty], and Shane [Waldron] and all the guys that had to work with him and help him be successful. It was a really good effort by everybody. Again, it comes down to him being able to do it, his willingness to want to, and the work ethic."

As for his role on this roster, Eberflus believes that Jones could be a matchup nightmare for other teams because of his versatility and is a guy that opponents will have to strategically prepare for if he's called upon.

"He's going to be a guy for us that we can use in multiple ways," Eberflus said. "We can put him in the backfield, we can spread him out, we can do a lot of different things and that's a team need, a benefit. Trying to defend that when he comes into the game is a little bit different than just a normal type of receiver or a guy that can line up in the backfield. I think it creates a little time-on-task practice wise for the opponent as well as preparation wise in the film study."

A former 2022 third-round pick, Jones may not have panned out as a wide receiver to begin his career, but as the Bears continue to find ways to make their offense more dangerous, he fits the bill as another elusive weapon. The opportunities may be few and far between, but when called upon, Jones showed this preseason that he can produce when given the opportunities.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Matt Eberflus explains why Velus Jones Jr. earned spot on Bears roster