When the Bears have lined up for punt return drills, unlike with kick return it's been a three-man rotation.
The kick return has been a full lineup of players taking turns and it figured to be this way. Josh Blackwell, Zavion Thomas, Kalif Raymond, Scottty Miller, Roschon Johnson, Kaden Davis, Dallis Flowers and Maurice Alexander comprised the lineup doing it, but with punt returns only Raymond, Thomas and Luther Burden III took return opportunities, and one thing stood out there. All three have handled fielding punts effortlessly. In other words, there is no Velus Jones Jr. in the group.
No one is fighting it when they're trying to field the ball, and in recent years this hasn't always been the case for the Bears. Even players they brought in who were said to have sure hands wound up with some issues at times. Devin Duvernay was one of the more consistent ones last year but didn't quite live up to the breakaway threat for punt returns or crack the top 10. He did make a few big contributions as a kick returner.
Signing Raymond made it clear who would be doing the punt returns, and even though three players are sharing the duties in practices the former Lions return man has captured everyone's attention with his surprising speed. So far that was shown best on pass routes and not returns, as he scored on a bomb and caught a few other passes that he broke. Thomas is a flat-out burner, and was dangerous in college, but may have been a better kick returner than punt returner.
