Bears News: Luther Burden III could get look on special teams, but future lies on offense

Ariana Pensy · Correspondent · 6 hours ago

CHICAGO - In the first game of the NFL season, there was a clear lack of discipline when the Dallas Cowboys faced the Philadelphia Eagles. Emotions are usually high in division games, like will probably be the case when the Chicago Bears take on the Minnesota Vikings this coming Monday (7:15 p.m. / ABC).

However, special teams coordinator Richard Hightower said the Bears' coaching staff has frequently discussed with their players the importance of staying in the moment and prioritizing the team to ensure that their emotions do not lead to penalties on the field.

“We always talk to them about staying in the moment and that is (something we have talked) to them about from day one. We talk about having poise and understanding that the team is first in everything we do and every action we want to perform to the best of our ability,” Hightower said. “But, we want to always make sure we put the team first and everything that I do, every stat that I get, every tackle that I make, every block that I do, every return that I have is for the benefit of the team. So, I always keep the team first and always having a poise mindset but at the same time, still ready to go out and play a violent game in between the lines.”

Wide receiver Devin Duvernay ultimately won the job for the starting kick returner and punt returner, with Josh Blackwell listed as the backup for both positions on Chicago’s latest depth chart.

However, there is also the possibility that rookie receiver Luther Burden III could see some action on special teams, although Hightower does not believe this will last long, as he expects Burden to excel on offense.

“The one thing about Luther Burden is he’s as smooth as they come. He is confident. Nothing’s too big for him. The game looks like it slows down to him all the time,” Hightower said. “He’s going to be a really good one, and I don’t know how long we’ll have him because I think he’s going to be a really good wideout.”

This season, the Chicago Bears have named five team captains, including one special teams captain - kicker Cairo Santos.

For Hightower and the special teams unit, it was really a big deal to see Santos become one of the captains, especially after his journey to the NFL from going undrafted and playing on four other teams before becoming Chicago’s starting kicker.

“When you talk about Cairo, he’s emblematic of what guys should be in a special teams room. His journey, what he went through to get to where he is now. Some of those guys in the special teams room, you don’t have a lot of first and second rounders in there. (So), they can relate to his story though we have a couple first and second rounders playing. But, a lot of those guys are guys that are drafted a little bit later or free agents,” Hightower said. “So, Cairo’s a really good example for them. The team was fired up for him. Special teams room’s fired up for him. He’s confident, he’s consistent, he’s clutch. He’s all of those things you want a guy to be that hold that position. So, we’re very proud of him and he’s a really good representation of what we believe in in our room.”