ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — For return man/wide receiver Velus Jones, it was just like old times.
Jones had six carries for 34 yards, including a four-yard touchdown run, to conclude a one-week experiment at running back in the Bears’ 33-6 preseason victory Saturday against the Bills.
‘‘It felt good just getting the ball in my hands,’’ Jones said. ‘‘My first position at [youth] league was running back, and I played some running back my senior year of high school. I’ve got highlights.’’
The NFL is a long way from youth league and high school, but not to Jones. With 4.31-second speed in the 40-yard dash, he thinks he can do anything.
‘‘It kind of feels the same when you’ve got speed,’’ he said in jest. ‘‘Seriously, it was pretty cool. Shout-out to the [offensive] line. They made it easy on me, gave me some pretty clear looks.’’
With backup Tyson Bagent at quarterback, Jones had runs of seven, one and four yards on a third-quarter drive before going around left end for a four-yard touchdown that gave the Bears a 13-3 lead. He added a 19-yard run early in the fourth.
‘‘It was positive,’’ coach Matt Eberflus said. ‘‘He did a nice job of getting north. He’s a physical player. You can really see him denting those tackles to fall forward for positive yards, the hidden yards that are in our favor. He’s been good back there.’’
Eberflus said he would talk with offensive coordinator Shane Waldron and running backs coach Chad Morton before deciding whether Jones has earned an extended look in the backfield.
Starters out
Defensive end Montez Sweat was the most prominent of five starters, including four on defense, who didn’t play because of injuries.
The others were cornerbacks Kyler Gordon and Tyrique Stevenson, safety Jaquan Brisker and center/right guard Ryan Bates.
Long snapper Patrick Scales, who missed practice last week with a back injury, also didn’t play. Cameron Lyons replaced him.
Swift-y
Running back D’Andre Swift, who is eager to do more as a receiver in Waldron’s offense, got off to a fast start in that area with a 42-yard reception on the Bears’ fourth play from scrimmage.
On first down from the Bears’ 40, quarterback Caleb Williams stepped up in heavy traffic and, with no other options but taking a sack, flipped a short pass to Swift, who was in open space after a block from center Coleman Shelton. He was tackled by cornerback Rasul Douglas at the Bills’ 18.
Swift’s longest pass play in the regular-season with the Eagles last year was 20 yards, but he had touchdown receptions of 63 and 42 yards with the Lions in 2021.
Pick-six
Backup linebacker Micah Baskerville, who made an impact last year in training camp and the preseason, did it again with a 53-yard interception return for a touchdown after picking off a pass by third-string quarterback Shane Buechele.
Welcome to the NFL
Rookie punter Tory Taylor, who was greeted by 16 mph winds in his NFL debut, averaged 40.5 net yards on two punts. He had a 48-yard punt returned 15 yards and a 48-yard punt that went out of bounds at the Bills’ 11.
‘‘Probably the toughest stadium I’ve ever played in,’’ Taylor said.
Under the radar
Reserve running back Ian Wheeler, an undrafted rookie from Howard, scored on runs of eight and seven yards in the fourth quarter. He led the Bears in rushing with 43 yards on five carries.
Coach Matt Eberflus claimed at this time last year that injuries weren’t a long-term concern— and then the Bears lost their first four games by a combined 62 points. It was natural to fear a repeat this training camp when Bears starters began dropping once padded practices got underway. But just when things were starting to look similar, they got better Wednesday.
After revealing on “Hard Knocks” that he once owned a ferret, the wide receiver-turned-running back spent six minutes Wednesday detailing the life of “Crash.”
Last month, the NFL sent a memo to teams warning them not to fight during joint practices.
