Is Devin Hester Done In Chicago?

[bears6385]

Will 2012 be the last we see of Devin Hester in a Bears uniform? I don't expect Hester to be back next season. Even though the Bears are among the top 10 teams in terms of cap space this off season they can still save an extra two million if Hester were traded or cut.

Hester's production as a receiver have dropped in recent years but he is still one of the best returners in the game. Should the Bears cut him he will not be unemployed for long.

[InElwayWeTrust]

As a returner he is elite.


As a receiver.... There are probably practice squad receivers that are close to on par with him.

He just isn't a good receiver. At all

[one5beast]

I think he stays there for at least one more year. Hes not going to produce as a WR especially since Cutler-Marshall combo is back. Marshall always wants the ball.

[bears6385]

As a returner he is elite.


As a receiver.... There are probably practice squad receivers that are close to on par with him.

He just isn't a good receiver. At all

I agree, and that is why the Bears will not pay him the 1.85 mill left on his contract just to be a returner.

[JohnShaft]

As a returner he is elite.

He's not even elite as a returner any more. This year he is 7th for PR avg and 19th for KR average. He's been irritating this season running backwards like a mentalist on PR's.

I thought after two bad years as a Returner he was washed up (which does happen young usually) but he was back to form last year. Sadly that seems to have been the blip.

He WAS the best returner in history. Now he's not. And he'll never make it as a WR. Let him go and let Jeffery get his reps as a wideout.

[bronx_2003]

I thought one of the biggest shames was Chicago trying to make Hester a starting receiver and taking away a lot of his return duties.

They should have left him as a bit part offense player and the best returner in season, instead of making him an average receiver and highly diluting his return abilities.

[bronx_2003]

I thought one of the biggest shames was Chicago trying to make Hester a starting receiver and taking away a lot of his return duties.

They should have left him as a bit part offense player and the best returner in season, instead of making him an average receiver and highly diluting his return abilities.

[beastlyskronk]

I think it depends on the health of Johnny Knox. If Knox isn't healthy I think they have to keep him for another year. Jeffery, Marshal, and Bennet aren't speed receivers by any stretch. Hester may not be a great WR but he can still outrun people deep and with Cutler's arm it's something you have to respect to some degree. Now if Knox is healthy, he can return kicks and be a better WR.

[InsaneBlaze23]

He might as well stay. He wont get big money anywhere else, he is a return man in a league where touchbacks happen 95% of the time.

Nobody wants him as a WR, he is about as good as PS members on the Chiefs. His only value is return man, a team would sign him for that role and that role alone. The Bears are paying him more than anyone else should or will.

[bears6385]

He might as well stay. He wont get big money anywhere else, he is a return man in a league where touchbacks happen 95% of the time.

Nobody wants him as a WR, he is about as good as PS members on the Chiefs. His only value is return man, a team would sign him for that role and that role alone. The Bears are paying him more than anyone else should or will.

Point is I doubt that the Bears will keep Hester. I see him getting cut this off season. He makes to much to just be a returner, and the Bears cannot afford to keep two special teamers Hester and Weems as their #5 and #6 wr's. At some point the Bears have got to find some quality depth at wr.

[thenewera44]

Try playing him at DB where he belongs.

Thats a thought.

Safety maybe?

[bears6385]

I think it depends on the health of Johnny Knox. If Knox isn't healthy I think they have to keep him for another year. Jeffery, Marshal, and Bennet aren't speed receivers by any stretch. Hester may not be a great WR but he can still outrun people deep and with Cutler's arm it's something you have to respect to some degree. Now if Knox is healthy, he can return kicks and be a better WR.

In a Chicago Sun Times article Knox admitted he is not quite there physically yet. But he is confident that he will return in 2013. Aside from Knox there are other speed receiver options in free agency that the Bears could look at, Avery, and Henderson for example, plus it looks like the Raiders are moving on from Hayward-Bey, and Ford.

[bears6385]

Try playing him at DB where he belongs.

Thats a thought.

Safety maybe?

Hester is a better wr, than db. At 31 moving him to another position is not an option. Hester is a kick and punt returner nothing else.

[thenewera44]

Hester is a better wr, than db. At 31 moving him to another position is not an option. Hester is a kick and punt returner nothing else.

He knows how to play DB. He played DB at the U and I think he was originally there for the Bears.

He is more of a pure DB in my estimation. He is 31, but he still has real good speed.

He can be play making nickel back and I think he can even roam around at safety and make some plays.

Like I said, it is not a new language to him. That is what he played originally.

[beastlyskronk]

In a Chicago Sun Times article Knox admitted he is not quite there physically yet. But he is confident that he will return in 2013. Aside from Knox there are other speed receiver options in free agency that the Bears could look at, Avery, and Henderson for example, plus it looks like the Raiders are moving on from Hayward-Bey, and Ford.

I think the Colts will bring back Avery. Henderson, DHB, and Ford really aren't much better than Hester if at all. Eric Weems isn't much of a WR either nor is he as good in space as Hester. Hester can have a role in the Bears offense, the Bears just need to get creative with him. Mike Tice is the problem right now. Let Bates call the plays or at least install a package for Devin Hester. Move him around, put him at RB and let him run routes there, fake a screen to Marshall and take a shot deep to Hester, throw a RB screen to Hester, give him a draw play or do a shotgun toss with him every once in awhile, just do different things with him. Hester can be an effective player, but you can just tell him to go line up at WR and make plays and expect him to do it consistently.

Actually in all honesty, I have no idea why the Bears moved him to WR in the first place. Staying at CB would have been best for him but if they changed his position to anything it should have been RB. Hester would be a dangerous receiving option out of the backfield.