Bears confident in punt returner Velus Jones, but ...

The Bears say they’re still confident in Velus Jones after the rookie muffed his second punt in three games last week. But the kick- and punt-returning job is wide open heading into Monday night.

Special-teams coach Richard Hightower said Jones is competing with Eddie Jackson, Josh Blackwell and Dante Pettis, among others, for return duties against the Patriots.

“I don’t worry too much about his confidence because he is a confident guy,” Hightower said. “He just wants to do well for his team. Obviously, he had a couple struggles. He’s a rookie. All rookies struggle. But I think he’ll be fine.”

Asked if that meant Jones would return kicks against the Patriots, Hightower said, “I wish I could tell you. We’ll find out Monday night. They’re all in competition, and they’re working hard.”

Jones, a third-round draft pick from Tennessee, is eager to get back and prove himself, but he’s also prepared to have to wait for another chance.

“Coach is going to do what’s best for the team,” he said. “[My attitude is], let’s keep practicing and keep getting better every week, and when my number’s called, I’ll go back there and do what I’ve been doing for a while.”

Whenever he’s back there again, the previous mishaps won’t be on his mind. Getting return opportunities in practice this week has helped.

“It’s about moving forward,” Jones said. “If you focus on the past, it’ll affect the future. It can cause anxiety and all types of things. But it’s all about me staying up on myself and not staying down on myself, and putting it behind me. It’s a new day. A new opportunity. ‘What can I do to get better?’ So I feel like getting reps over and over helped that.”

Injury report

The Bears had full participation at practice again Friday and expect to go into Monday night’s game with no injuries — a rarity at any time in the NFL.

Patriots quarterback Mac Jones, who has missed the last three games with a high ankle sprain, was limited in practice again Friday. Rookie Bailey Zappe, who has a 111.4 passer rating in three games (two starts) since Jones was injured, could start against the Bears whether or not Jones is healthy.

The Fifth Captain

DeAndre Houston-Carson will be the honorary captain against the Patriots. The 2016 sixth-round pick has started three games at safety (all in 2021) but has carved a niche as a reliable, four-phase special-teams ace.

“DHC is phenomenal,” Hightower said. “You want to put a helmet on a guy and [say], ‘This is a Bear’? That’s DHC. His work ethic is phenomenal. He’s smart. Does a very nice job helping guys in meetings, not only with his position but other people’s positions and on the other side of the ball. He’s like having an extra coach.”