Bear Digest

Bears still weighing best return options despite inexperience issue

Being explosive is not a rare commodity for the return men on the Bears roster but special teams coordinator Richard Hightower has a decision yet to make.
Gene Chamberlain|
Devin Duvernay hasn't been seen much in practice and training camp but still could be the best return option the Bears have.
Devin Duvernay hasn't been seen much in practice and training camp but still could be the best return option the Bears have. | David Banks-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

At least to hear Bears special teams coordinator Richard Hightower, the return job Devin Duvernay seemed to own after he signed in free agency still could belong to someone else in the opener.

Hightower is healthy now after a hamstring injury sidelined him following the first preseason game against Miami. Bears fans barely saw Duvernay, whose world class speed earned him All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors as a return man in his first two seasons with Baltimore.

"I think Duv, along with all our returners—specifically asking about Duv—but I think Duv has obviously a storied past, really good player, two-time Pro Bowler," Hightower said. "He is fast. He's electric. But so is Luther Burden."

Burden really didn't get to show much of his return potential in preseason, either, but his pass catching and ability to run after the catch have been obvious since the start of training camp. It's just that his return experience is very limited.

Burden had only one kick return in college and did return 24 punts for a 10.5-yard average, but half of those returns came when he was a freshman.

"We have really good options there," Hightower said. "Still going through it all. Guys still working. We're actually doing return day, so guys still competing back there to see who goes on Monday."

Burden's inexperience isn't as much of a factor for Hightower. It could beeasier for the Bears to come up with a viable game-day active roster if it was Burden on returns because he figures to have a greater role in the offense, too.

"That's a great observation because some rookies, they get in there and get nervous," Hightower said regarding Burden. "But the one thing about Luther Burden is he is as smooth as they come, man. He is confident. Nothing's too big for him.

"The game looks like it slows down to him all the time. He's gonna be a really good one. I don't know how long we'll have him (on special teams) because I think he's gonna be a really good wideout."

Perhaps Hightower is right and Burden is smooth. He should keep that to the offense. The Bears have had experience in recent years with a rookie return man/wide receiver being a bit unsteady fielding the ball. Of course, with Velus Jones it never improved and that meant even more than his initial failures.

For now, the best route appears to be Duvernay until proven otherwise with at least a game or so.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.