The Bears hosted return specialist David Wallis, along with seven other players, at Halas Hall for a tryout, NBC Sports Chicago's Josh Schrock confirmed on Tuesday.
Wallis, who went undrafted in the 2024 NFL Draft, played with the Patriots during the preseason before he was cut from the team.
Wallis is listed as a wide receiver but also as a return specialist on both kickoffs and punts. He returned seven kicks for a 28.9-yard average during the preseason; his longest was 53 yards. Wallis also returned four punts for an 11.8-yard average with a long of 23 yards. As a receiver, he made two catches of four and 12 yards during the preseason.
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Could Wallis' tryout be a message to Velus Jones Jr. from the Bears?
Jones Jr., the former third-round pick out of Tennessee, is on thin ice after muffing a kick return during the Bears' season-opener against the Titans. After the Titans scored, Jones muffed the kick badly, giving the Titans an incredible position at the 23-yard line.
The Titans yielded a field goal from the incident, raising the score to 10-0 in the first half. After the play, Jones didn't return to the game as a return specialist. However, he remained part of the Bears' offense as a running back, which he switched to from wide receiver during training camp.
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Here's the muffed kick.
This isn't Jones' first offense in this department. The 27-year-old muffed a kick during the preseason, which he recovered before disaster ensued. But he muffed two punts in narrow losses during the 2022 season, costing him his spot as a return specialist that season.
The Bears have been overly satisfied with Jones' transition from wide receiver to running back this offseason, believing he has strong potential in the backfield. The team has been doing everything in their power to get the 4.31 40-yard time out of him on their offense.
Unfortunately, errors of this caliber have placed him on thin ice. The Bears can't afford to keep him on the roster as he continues to make critical mistakes in games without much production elsewhere. If the Bears find someone they like to return kicks alongside DeAndre Carter, it might spell the end of Jones' time in Chicago.