As Ben Johnson steps into his new role as head coach of the Chicago Bears, he will be evaluating all aspects of the roster. While not as heralded as offense or defense, that includes special teams.
Johnson won’t be leading the charge alone though, as Richard Hightower is in place as Chicago’s special teams coordinator. While the franchise went through an organizational reset, Hightower remained. He has been with the organization since 2022. Him remaining on Johnson’s staff is a testament to how the head coach and team feel about their special teams coordinator.
In turn, Hightower is expecting a lot of out his players. The Bears signed veteran Devin Duvernay to a one-year contract during the offseason. He has earned a pair of Pro Bowl nominations for his work on special teams. However, Hightower says Duvernay will have to prove himself before earning a special moniker in Chicago, via Sean Hammond of the Chicago Tribune.
“We’re gunna call him Duvernay until he makes plays,” Hightower said. “Then we’ll call him Devin.”
Hightower is obviously referring to Bears legend Devin Hester. Arguably the greatest special teams player of all time, Hester was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2024.
State of Chicago Bears return team
Chicago Bears lose wide receiver to Browns 2 Chicago Bears DeAndre Carter walks off the field – Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
On kickoffs, the Bears ranked 11th in the NFL, averaging 28.4 yards per return. They had two returns of 40+ yards with a 67-yarder being Chicago’s longest kickoff return on the season.
The Bears were even better when fielding a punt, ranking fourth in the league by averaging 12.7 yards per return. Chicago was one of four teams to return a punt for a touchdown and tied for fourth-most returns of 20+ yards with three. So overall, the Bears fielded a fairly strong special teams unit in 2024.
However, the main component of that success was DeAndre Carter. While Josh Blackwell scored the punt return touchdown, Carter led the team with 17 returns total. Furthermore, he was the main weapon on punts with his 15 returns also being most on the squad. The only problem is, Carter joined the Cleveland Browns on a one-year deal during the offseason.
His departure is the main reason Chicago went out and signed Duvernay. However, Carter found solid success in 2024. Duvernay will have lofty expectations as he steps into the role.
What Devin Duvernay brings to the table
Duvernay spent the 2024 campaign with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He fielded 19 punts, averaging 8.8 yards per return. On kickoffs, Duvernay averaged 25.1 yards on his 14 returns. Over his entire five-year NFL career, Duvernay has averaged 12 yards on his punt returns and 24.9 yards on his kickoff returns. Still only 28-years-old, the special teams ace still has plenty of gas left in the tank.
Fans will remember Duvernay from is time with the Baltimore Ravens. He was named to the Pro Bowl in both the 2021 and 2022 season. In 2021, Duvernay was also named an All-Pro while leading the league by averaging 13.8 yards per kick return.
It’s going on almost half a decade since that campaign took place, but it shows how strong Duvernay can be. There’s a reason the Bears circled his name once a Carter return became unlikely. Now, it’ll be up to Hightower to ensure Chicago remains a force in the return game.
No one is expected Duvernay to be Hester. Frankly, there may not be another player in NFL history who can compare to Hester. However, Chicago knows how important the special teams game in. While it may be overlooked by most, Johnson, Hightower and Duvernay will all work together to show the competition that when it comes to special teams, the Bears are a dangerous threat.
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