LAKE FOREST, Ill. – General manager Jerry Angelo can scratch backup running back off his want list after veteran Kevin Jones agreed to a two-year contract with the Bears on Friday.

Kevin Jones rushed for 109 yards on 34 carries in his first season with the Bears.

Jones, an unrestricted free agent who visited the Buffalo Bills this week, initially signed a one-year deal with the Bears last July 15, just seven months after rupturing his ACL while playing for the Detroit Lions in the second-to-last game of the 2007 season.

The 6-foot, 228-pounder appeared in 11 games in his first year with the Bears, rushing for 109 yards on 34 carries. Jones gained 45 yards on 13 carries in a season-opening win over the Colts and rushed for 36 yards on 10 attempts in a Week 5 victory over the Lions. But he did not touch the ball on offense over the final seven games, appearing in just two contests.

Jones was demoted from his role as the No. 2 back because Adrian Peterson contributed more on special teams. But the former Virginia Tech standout got back on the field late in the season after convincing coaches to add him to the special teams unit.

Jones is expected to see expanded action this season behind Matt Forte, who set Bears rookie records with 1,238 yards rushing, 63 receptions and 1,715 total yards from scrimmage in 2008.

Two weeks ago at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, coach Lovie Smith discussed the importance of relying on a second running back in addition to Forte.

“Do we need a good complement to go along with him? Yes, we’re always trying to do that,” Smith said. “I think as you look at our history since we’ve been there as a staff, I think we’ve had our most productive years when we had two running backs that we really felt comfortable playing, and you would like to get back to that situation.”

Offensive coordinator Ron Turner expressed a similar point of view in early February on ChicagoBears.com.

“Matt Forte is so good that it’s hard to take him off the field,” Turner said. “But we also know we have to. We want to get him in the neighborhood of 20-25 touches a game. That still leaves plenty of opportunities to get somebody else in there. We definitely know we need to incorporate other people.”

Jones joined the Bears in 2008 after spending his first four seasons with the Lions. Selected by Detroit with the 30th pick in the first round of the 2004 draft, Jones joined Billy Sims and Barry Sanders as the only Lions rookies to rush for at least 1,000 yards. Jones gained 1,133 yards, averaging a robust 4.7 yards per carry.

Injuries prevented Jones from approaching those numbers again. He broke a bone in his foot late in the 2006 season, an injury that forced him to miss all of training camp and the Lions’ first two regular-season games in 2007.

Jones battled his way back, ultimately leading the Lions in rushing with 581 yards and eight TDs before rupturing his ACL in a victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. The Lions haven't won since, losing all 17 of their games.