LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Wide receiver Rashied Davis started his personal conditioning program a month earlier than usual this offseason, and the results have been palpable on the practice field.

Determined to help the Bears replace Bernard Berrian and Muhsin Muhammad, Davis has starred during minicamp and OTA workouts, displaying blazing speed and excellent hands.

Rashied Davis is entering his fourth NFL season after spending four years in the Arena League.

“Rashied Davis has had a tremendous offseason,” said offensive coordinator Ron Turner. “He’s looking at this as an opportunity with Bernard and Moose gone, him having a chance to step up and play, and he is playing.

“He’s raised his game in the offseason. He’s playing at a different level right now and at a different speed. Hopefully he can continue that. He’s made some great plays for us in the past and he’s looking for an opportunity to get more playing time.”

Davis, who signed a three-year contract extension in April, felt a responsibility to help fill the void after the Bears released Muhammad and lost Berrian to the Vikings in free agency.

“I’ve always been a hard worker and always determined to come out and make as many plays as I can,” Davis said. “But we lost two key starters and I felt that I needed to help the team a lot more because I was the one that was coming back. I’m the one that’s coming back with the most experience in the offense, so I really have been focusing on that.”

Turner isn’t the only Bears coach who’s noticed a difference in Davis in offseason practices.

“The best player for us probably out on the field has been [No.] 81,” said receivers coach Darryl Drake. “He’s quicker, he’s faster, he’s stronger. He puts more fear in them—you go ask those guys on defense who puts fear inside them.”

Although Davis will contend for a spot with the No. 1 offense, earning a starting job is not his primary focus.

“That’s not really a goal at all for me,” Davis said. “It’s just going out here and playing as hard as I can, and if my play says that I should be starting and they pick me to be a starter, then I’ll be a starter. I don’t have any control over that aside from how well I play out here on the field.”

Davis originally joined the Bears as a free agent in 2005 after spending four seasons with the San Jose SaberCats in the Arena Football League. The 5-9, 187-pounder switched to receiver in 2006 after playing cornerback as a rookie and caught 22 passes for 303 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Davis made two of the most important plays of the season, catching a 24-yard TD pass with 1:53 remaining to give the Bears a key comeback win at Minnesota and hauling in a 30-yard pass to set up Robbie Gould’s 49-yard field goal in an overtime playoff victory over Seattle.

With fewer opportunities last season after the Bears switched Devin Hester to offense and drafted tight end Greg Olsen, Davis caught just 17 passes for 165 yards and no TDs.

But after taking one step back, Davis expects to take two steps forward in 2008.

“This is my third year in the offense, so I really have a better grasp of everything,” he said. “I’m seeing things a lot more and I’ve matured a lot more in the offense. I’m looking for big things out of myself.”