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Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Charlie Jones is hoping for a fresh start in his third NFL season.<\/p>\n
The 2017 Deerfield graduate has missed 15 games due to injuries and has totaled eight catches for 69 yards in two seasons.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve had a lot of ups and downs in my career,\u201d Jones said. \u201cI think every time I go through something or have a surgery or a setback, it gets me more motivated.\u201d<\/p>\n
Training camp begins Wednesday, when the 6-foot, 190-pound Jones\u00a0will resume working with a Bengals offense that features quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receivers Ja\u2019Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Jones is excited to show what he can do after a busy offseason.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mindset was to work hard and to have high expectations for myself,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is the biggest and strongest I\u2019ve been in a long time. I want to make Year 3 my year, my breakout year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Deerfield coach Brandon Geuder wouldn\u2019t be surprised to see Jones make that happen.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve known Charlie dating back to when I was the offensive coordinator at Deerfield,\u201d Geuder said. \u201cI remember watching him play as a sophomore. You immediately knew he was going to be a special player.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe big thing for me was his incredible body awareness, especially in the air. When his feet weren\u2019t on the ground, he still had the ability to snag balls above everyone else, whether he was twisting his body or hands to make a catch. It was really special. On 50-50 balls, we always knew Charlie was going to come down with the ball.\u201d<\/p>\n Jones has made the most significant impact in the return game for the Bengals. He had an 81-yard punt return for a touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens in 2023 and a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against the Cleveland Browns last season.<\/p>\n Geuder said Jones\u2019 ability in the return game can separate Jones from other offensive players.<\/p>\n \u201cHe would see a seam, and he had the extra gear,\u201d Geuder said. \u201cOnce he put his foot on the ground, he would make a quick little cut and be gone.\u201d<\/p>\n Jones, who was an All-American second-team pick at Purdue in 2022 after stops at Buffalo and Iowa, made a splash at the 2023 NFL combine by running the 40-yard dash in 4.43 seconds. The Bengals then selected him in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL draft.<\/p>\n But Jones suffered a broken right thumb in the third game of his rookie season and was sidelined for six-plus weeks.<\/p>\n \u201cI had the mentality last year that I was not satisfied with how my first year went,\u201d he said. \u201cI put in the work and was looking to make a name for myself. But it was another frustrating year. I was hoping to compete for a spot in the wide receiver room, and it didn\u2019t go that way.\u201d<\/p>\n Jones\u2019 100-yard kickoff return came in his next-to-last game on Oct. 20.<\/p>\n \u201cI had a slow start, but finally things started going my way with the kick return in Cleveland,\u201d he said. \u201cI then had a groin issue and tried to come back and missed the rest of the season.\u201d<\/p>\n Jones said he revamped his entire offseason regimen in order to push himself both mentally and physically ahead of this season. After sports hernia surgery, he stayed in Cincinnati to rehab, and then he went to Atlanta to work with a physical therapist, a trainer, and strength and speed coach.<\/p>\n \u201cThis offseason has been a crazy but interesting one,\u201d Jones said. \u201cI feel like I\u2019ve really grown.\u201d<\/p>\n No matter how much Jones has grown, he has maintained his connection to Deerfield, according to Geuder, who said Jones visits the Warriors on occasion.<\/p>\n \u201cIt means a lot to us,\u201d Geuder said. \u201cIt\u2019s so cool to collectively cheer for your hometown guy. Charlie has been almost 10 years away from Deerfield football, but the kids still talk about him, watch him and look for clips.\u201d<\/p>\n Jones said his injuries have given him a different outlook.<\/p>\n \u201cIt gave me time to really sit back and think where I\u2019m at in my life,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m doing something I\u2019ve dreamed of all my life.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Jones has missed 15 games due to injuries in his two seasons.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":28563,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28562","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cincinnati-bengals"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"Deerfield\u2019s](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.chicagotribune.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/LNS-L-NFL-JONES-BENGALS-0719.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&ssl=1\")
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