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In 2006 the Chicago Bears drafted a Cornerback out of Miami, that would go on to become the greatest return specialist in history, Devin Hester. Dubbed “The Windy City Flyer” by some and just plain “Ridiculous” by others, Hester possessed an ability to change the game whenever he lined up deep to receive. His speed and talent for making opposing players miss, not only made him a scoring threat any time but more importantly left his Offense with good field position and an opportunity to score. Averaging 27.6 yards on kicks and 14.2 yds on punts last season, one would have to be naïve to believe Hester was inconsequential in the Bears outstanding offensive performance. However, with a hefty price tag and more pressing needs on defense, Devin Hester was left to free agency. If the Bears want to replicate their offensive production from last year and give their overhauled defense a chance, they must find a replacement in the return game. This overwhelming task falls to a group of five players: Eric Weems, Micheal Spurlock, Armanti Edwards, Michael Ford, and Chris Williams.
Weems has been Hester’s back-up for the past 2 seasons. He made the 2010 Pro-Bowl as a returner with the Atlanta Falcons, where he averaged 25.6 yds per kick and 10.6 yds per punt. Already having decent experience at receiver, Weems will likely make the roster regardless; however, if he can produce at his 2010 level then he has to be front runner as a returner. Spurlock is journeyman who’s played for 7 teams, over the past 7 seasons but his numbers aren’t too bad as he averaged 24.2 yds per kick and 9.6 per punt making him good competition for Weems.
Edwards, on the other hand, has less impressive numbers. In 4 years with the Carolina Panthers and Cleveland Browns he’s averaged a mere 19.7 on kicks and only 7 yds on punts. Although his abilities as a receiver give him a good chance to win a roster spot he looks to be lower in the running as a return man. Michael Ford spent his rookie season backing up Matt Forte and Michael Bush; however he showed some ability as a returner last year during pre-season and ranked second in the SEC for returns when he was at LSU.
The final prospect is the most intriguing. Coming off the New Orleans Saints practice squad, Chris Williams spent the previous 3 seasons north of the border in Canada. Playing for the CFL’s Hamilton Tiger Cats, Williams was the CFL version of Devin Hester as he set records for most return touch downs in a season, 6, and most consecutive games with a punt return touchdown, 3. While the CFL is certainly not the NFL, Williams’ talents may still translate, and if so, he may be the dark horse in this race and give the rest of these folks a run for their money.
No one will replace Devin Hester any time soon. He’s the type of talent that only comes around once in a lifetime. However, it is up to 1 of these 5 men, or some combination thereof, to do their best imitations if the Bears are to return to the postseason. And even though most eyes will be studying the performance of a new and improved defense, it is the competition for the return man that should be the most interesting and, possibly, the most exciting.
Chris Kazmierczak is a Writer for Couch Rider Report. Follow us on twitter or Facebook.