The Bears now longer have Devin Hester on the roster to return punts and kickoffs and they are reportedly adding a couple of players who could compete for those openings.
The team announced that they have signed veteran free agent wide receivers Armanti Edwards and Micheal Spurlock. They also released wide receiver Dominik Hixon with an injury settlement after Hixon tore his ACL and waived linebacker Tana Patrick.
Edwards was a third-round pick of the Panthers after playing quarterback at Appalachian State. He played the position well enough to win consecutive Walter Payton Awards as the best player in the Football Championship Subdivision, but the move to wideout didn’t bear much fruit in Carolina. Edwards caught five passes in parts of four seasons with the Panthers and had one more catch in two games with the Browns last season.
He did see time as both a kickoff and punt returner, although he wasn’t much more impressive in those roles. Spurlock has been more effective with five career touchdown returns, including two with the Chargers in 2012.