Velus Jones Jr. is officially doubtful to make his regular season NFL debut on Sunday. The Bears rookie wide receiver has been plagued by a hamstring injury dating back to training camp. He was in and out of practice throughout the summer and only appeared in one preseason game. Jones Jr. did improve as the week went on, however. He started as a DNP on Wednesday, then turned in two limited practices on Thursday and Friday.
Two Bears defensive stars are also questionable for the team's Week 3 matchup against the Texans. Standout cornerback Jaylon Johnson is battling a quad injury, while starting WILL linebacker Roquan Smith is working through a hip injury.
Johnson’s status is a little more concerning, since he started the week as a full participant in practice, then was downgraded to a limited participant on Thursday, and was finally a non-participant on Friday. That type of degradation throughout the week is typically not a good sign for someone’s availability on gameday. Smith was a DNP every day this week, yet remains questionable. The Bears have previously stated that Smith is the type of player who can still play effectively without practicing.
The Bears also ruled three players out for Week 3. Starting SAM linebacker Matt Adams (hamstring), tight end Ryan Griffin (Achilles) and backup safety Dane Cruikshank (hamstring) are all unavailable for the Texans game.