Late-night call from Matt Eberflus leads Justin Jones to Chicago

LAKE FOREST – Justin Jones was ready to sign with the Indianapolis Colts.

But when an NFL head coach calls at midnight, that call doesn’t go unanswered. Late Thursday night, Jones saw an incoming call from Bears head coach Matt Eberflus. If the call hadn’t come, Jones would’ve been in Indianapolis on Friday, not on an early flight to Chicago.

Jones officially signed his contract with the Bears on Friday and spoke in the Halas Hall media room shortly afterward.

“I really think you fit right in with our guys,” Jones recalled Eberflus telling him. “You fit right in with our scheme, you fit right in with what we’re trying to accomplish. The way you go about your work, the way you go about as a character, as a man, it just fits in with what we have going on with the Bears.”

That late-night phone call from Eberflus wouldn’t have come if former Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi hadn’t failed his physical Thursday. The Bears announced Friday morning that Ogunjobi had failed his physical and wouldn’t sign with the team. The two sides had reportedly agreed to a three-year contract worth up to $40 million.

The Bears envisioned Ogunjobi as their “3-technique” of the future, a smaller, quicker defensive lineman who is key to Eberflus’ 4-3 defensive scheme. Instead, the Bears had to pivot quickly to lock up Jones.

The 25-year-old will fill that 3-technique spot after signing a two-year contract worth up to $12 million. Jones said he has worked out with Ogunjobi before. They have a mutual friend in Bengals defensive tackle B.J. Hill.

“He deserved everything he was about to get,” Jones said of Ogunjobi. “That’s just terrible how that went about. But it’s an opportunity that I can take advantage of and I’m really excited to be here, really excited to get to know these guys.”

Jones played his first four NFL seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers. He appeared in 11 games last season, recording 37 total tackles, five tackles for loss and three sacks.

Jones knew as soon as Eberflus became the head coach that Chicago could be a landing spot for him, based off the scheme Eberflus runs.

He will be joined by defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad, who signed a two-year, $10 million contract with the Bears the same day as Jones. Muhammad, a former Colts pass rusher, is quite familiar with Eberflus after working with him over the past four seasons in Indianapolis. Muhammad played in all 17 games last season, recording six sacks, 13 QB hits, one forced fumble and 48 total tackles.

“He’s the same guy every day, high-energy guy, he brings the juice,” Muhammad said of Eberflus during a Zoom session with the media Sunday. “Nobody wants to win more than Eberflus and I think a lot of people around here are going to see that. We’re all in this business to win. To win a Super Bowl. He’s going to give you his all. I mean, who wouldn’t want to play for a guy that brings the juice.”

Muhammad and Jones will be two key pieces for the Bears’ defensive line in 2022. That same defensive line is losing Akiem Hicks, Eddie Goldman and Bilal Nichols.

Muhammad will likely fill the spot left behind by Khalil Mack, who was traded to the Chargers. At 6-foot-4, 250 pounds, he’s quick enough to play on the outside. He will presumably line up opposite Robert Quinn, who set a Bears’ single-season sack record in 2021.

Neither the Muhammad deal nor the Jones deal will cost the Bears a huge cap hit. Both contracts are short-term, and likely easy to get out of after the first year. Bears general manager Ryan Poles has begun tearing the Bears’ roster down to the bones, and thus far in free agency he has committed to no long-term contracts. Ogunjobi would’ve been the biggest contract, and longest commitment at three years.

But Ogunjobi’s loss was Jones’ gain.

“The Bears got me here to help the team,” Jones said. “The scheme that’s in place, I’ll be able to showcase my ability.”

[ Hub Arkush: Bears fans will need patience if rooting for full rebuild ]