Christian Jones eager to help Bears’ defense get back on top

Linebacker Christian Jones (52, chasing down Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey in 2017) started 31 games for the Bears from 2014-17.Even with a mask on, Bears linebacker Christian Jones couldn’t hide the infectious smile that earned him the nickname “Cheese.”

After three seasons as a starter with the Lions, Jones is happy to be back with a Bears defense he initially joined on the ground floor — from 31st in his rookie year under Mel Tucker in 2014 to 20th, 24th and ninth in 2017 under Vic Fangio.

“Man, we’ve got a lot of playmakers on defense,” Jones said with a laugh. “We [had] some good players when I was here before. But I feel like we can really lock in and grow together as a…