Top Chicago Bears position battles to watch in 2025: No. 3 punt and kick

There’s less than a month left before the Bears reconvene for training camp, and there’s plenty of intrigue surrounding a team that went 5-12 last season.

New head coach Ben Johnson and his coaching staff have brought a new mentality to Chicago with their attention to detail and high level of accountability. Quarterback Caleb Williams also will try to take a big step in his second season after an up-and-down rookie year.

There will be plenty to watch when rookies arrive for training camp July 19 and veterans join them July 22. Bears general manager Ryan Poles made some major additions through free agency, trades and the draft, creating some interesting position battles once camp starts.

Shaw Local is ranking the top-five position battles to watch during training camp. Here’s a look at No. 3 on the list. Check back each day this week for the next installment.

No. 3 Punt and kick return

Returning players: Josh Blackwell, Tyler Scott, Travis Homer, Rome Odunze

Departed player: DeAndre Carter

Newcomers: Devin Duvernay, Luther Burden III, Olamide Zaccheaus, Maurice Alexander

Why it’s worth watching: Poles made plenty of moves this offseason that made headlines. But signing Duvernay, a former All-Pro kick returner, to a one-year contract might have flown under the radar. He brings valuable experience as both a kick and punt returner and should be considered the favorite for both roles once training camp starts.

Duvernay earned All-Pro honors with the Baltimore Ravens in 2021 after he returned 28 kickoffs for 676 yards and 26 punts for 360 yards. He followed that with a Pro Bowl season in 2022. In his lone season with the Jacksonville Jaguars last year, Duvernay finished 22nd in the league with 351 yards on 14 kickoff returns.

Carter led the Bears with 479 yards on 15 kick returns last season, while Scott had 207 yards on eight returns. Blackwell and Homer each also returned a kickoff and could compete for the role, but Duvernay should earn the spot once the season starts.

The more interesting battle should take place at punt returner. Duvernay figures to be the favorite here too, but it should be more of an open competition. Duvernay finished 19th in the league last season with 167 yards on 19 punt returns. He’s had at least 100 punt return yards in four of five seasons.

Last year, Carter led the Bears with 158 yards on 17 punt returns, while Blackwell brought back seven punts for 146 yards, including one for a touchdown on a trick play against the Green Bay Packers. Zaccheaus also put together a decent season with the Washington Commanders last year. He finished 17th in the league with 179 yards off 17 punt returns.

Odunze and Burden also bring in an interesting element to the competition. Odunze didn’t return a kickoff or punt last season, but has practiced doing so over the past two seasons. Burden primarily returned punts as a freshman at Missouri and had some success before doing it less the next two seasons. He returned 24 punts for 252 yards over three seasons, returning one for a touchdown his freshman year. But Burden hasn’t practiced since rookie minicamp at the beginning of May when he suffered what Johnson called a soft tissue issue.

Both Odunze and Burden are athletic options for special teams coordinator Richard Hightower, who said this spring that everything is on the table.

“Anybody who has a helmet on game day has a chance to return,” Hightower said, “so they’ll all be options back there. And our job is to get ‘em all trained, because we never know who will be available to us. So we’ll get them coached up and teach all of them and they’ll have a shot to go compete, and we’ll see who wins it.”

The Bears will have plenty of options as they try to find the best combo at the positions.