The Chicago Bears boast a plethora of potent kick and punt returns throughout their 103-year existence. Devin Hester, Cordarrelle Patterson, and Gale Sayers are all considered to be among the top five returners in NFL history. Glyn Milburn, Johnny Knox, Cecil Turner, Dennis Gentry, and Jerry Azumah have also contributed a lot in the return game for the city of Chicago. But despite their illustrious history, the Chicago Bears struggled in the kick and punt return facet of football during the 2022-2023 NFL Season.
Five players returned a kick or punt for the Bears last season, and they all struggled. Velus Jones Jr was the Bears’ most productive overall return man in terms of yards, but he muffed two punts last year. During the Bears’ week four matchup against the New York Giants, Jones muffed a punt in the closing stages of the fourth quarter. Following his muffed punt, the Giants missed a field goal, but the Bears lost 20-12. Less than two weeks later, Jones muffed another punt during the Bears’ week six matchup against the Washington Commanders. Midway through the fourth quarter, Jones muffed a punt on his own nine-yard line. Commanders running back Brian Robinson scored a one-yard rushing touchdown three plays later, and Washington went on to win the game 12-7. In total, Jones returned 22 kickoffs for 607 yards and five punts for 35 yards. Trestan Ebner was second in the Bears in kick return yards with 226 yards on ten returns. Khalil Herbert ranked third on the Bears in kick return yards with 146 yards on five returns. Ihmir Smith-Marsette returned only one kick last season for 17 yards. Chicago cut Smith-Marsette after he lost a costly fumble in the Bears’ week five loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Other than Jones, Dante Pettis was the only other Bear to return punts last season. He returned 18 punts for 263 yards. No one on the Bears’ roster had a special teams touchdown last season.
Velus Jones Jr and Dante Pettis are the current favorites to return kicks or punts this upcoming season. But a couple of new players could contribute to this facet of the game. In March, the Bears signed running back Travis Homer to a two-year, $4 million contract. Homer spent four years in Seattle, returning 18 kickoffs for 444 yards. In 2021, he returned an onside kick 44 yards for a touchdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Seahawks went on to win that game 31-7. Both of the Bears’ recent fourth-round picks have experience as kick returners. The Bears drafted running back Roschon Johnson with the 115th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Johnson returned eight kicks for 143 yards at the University of Texas. Despite his experience as a kick returner, Johnson isn’t the fastest player. He ran the forty-yard dash in 4.58 seconds. I think the Bears plan to make Johnson their lead running back in the near future, so it isn’t in the Bears’ best interests to risk possible injury to a player with a bright future ahead of him. The Chicago Bears drafted Tyler Scott with the 133rd overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Scott is a speedy, five-foot-eleven wide receiver from the University of Cincinnati. He ran the forty-yard dash in 4.44 seconds and had experience returning kickoffs as a Bearcat. Scott returned six kickoffs for 102 yards in his collegiate career. I expect Jones, Pettis, and Scott to contribute in the return game for the Chicago Bears.
More experience and an influx of new players should help the Bears return to their days of expertly returning kickoffs and punts for touchdowns.
