July 17th, 2009 
Matt Loede 
Posted in 
Is Devin Hester worth more to the Bears as a wide out, or as the most dangerous return man in the game today? That’s one of a number of questions about the Bears entering their 2009 training camp, but it seems that the Bears still have aspirations of Hester being the teams number one receiver.
The team had their eyes on other wide outs this offseason, but could never get anything done with the likes of Plaxico Burress, Anquan Boldin or Brandon Marshall, meaning that the pressure goes back on Hester, who is coming off a 51 catch season last year.
Those 51 catches by Hester ended up garnering him 665 yards with three TD’s, but in the end, he was just one quite as dangerous with the ball in his hands as a receiver as he was a kick returner. The team expects Hester to reach more like 75-85 catches this year, and with a Pro Bowl type QB in Jay Cutler, those numbers will be easier to reach.
Let’s see what Hester can do, but don’t give up on him as a kick returner. They want Daniel Manning to be that guy, but Hester could have been the best kick returner in NFL history, and they may want to explore that role some more before his career is out.
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