Bears special teams coordinator Richard Hightower praised general manager Ryan Poles Thursday for acquiring two dynamic return specialists this offseason.
“His ability to make the first man miss, it jumps off the tape. When we would play him twice a year, those weren’t weeks that we slept well.” Richard Hightower on Kalif Raymond
The reigning NFC North champions signed veteran Kalif Raymond, a two-time second-team All-Pro with the Lions, and drafted speedy Zavion Thomas in the third round.
"I mean, just our ability to add to the roster, I think Poles and his group have done a phenomenal job with that," Hightower said.
"[Raymond is an] outstanding talent, All-Pro returner … Been really excited to see him work in the building. Watching him from afar and then seeing him up close, you can see why he's had the success that he's had. And just to piggyback that with Zavion, that's what Zavion needs to watch. As a young kid, watch what Kalif does because Kalif, he works his tail off and is a consummate pro."
Playing for the Lions the past five seasons, Raymond averaged 11.3 yards on 132 punt returns with three touchdowns, earning second-team All-Pro honors in 2022 and again in 2024 when he led the NFL with 413 punt return yards despite playing only 12 games.
"His ability to make the first man miss, it jumps off the tape," Hightower said. "When we would play him twice a year, those weren't weeks that we slept well. We knew we had a good challenge every week we had to play them. That first step quickness that he has is unbelievable and … he's an aggressive returner. He wants to return the ball. He wants the ball in his hand.
"The other thing is just how well he gets along with his teammates and gets those guys to believe in blocking for him. That has jumped out to me in meetings."
Thomas also joins the Bears with impressive credentials. In four seasons at Mississippi State (2022-23) and LSU (2024-25), he averaged 9.7 yards with one TD on 60 punt returns and 27.2 yards with two TDs on 35 kickoff returns. He then boosted his draft stock by running a blistering 4.28 in the 40 at the NFL Combine.
"I like his speed on tape," Hightower said. "I like his natural instincts. I like his ability to catch the ball in traffic and his fearlessness … He's still young, it's still early. I mean, we'll see. But you've got a dynamic player that we like on special teams and we like on offense. This is a player that catches the ball, looks natural and he's been doing it his whole life and he's eager to be great.
"One of his first questions he asked me was, 'Why, coach, do most rookies not succeed in the NFL; what holds people back?' That told me right there about his mindset."
Raymond and Thomas both also will compete for roles as receivers on offense. Raymond caught 171 passes for 2,185 yards and eight touchdowns in five years with the Lions, while Thomas had 106 receptions for 1,213 yards and seven TDs in his college career, establishing career highs with 41 catches and four TDs last year at LSU.
High praise
After leading the Bears with 19 special teams tackles last season, defensive end Daniel Hardy is garnering league-wide attention.
"It's crazy because you go to these combines and all that stuff, the first person [other special teams coordinators] talk about is Hardy, like, 'We've got to get us a '92,'" Hightower said. "[I'm] just happy about his progress. But much like our other guys, he's not satisfied. He said the other day 'we're just getting started; the work's just getting started.'"
Hardy was selected by the Rams in the seventh round of the 2022 draft out of Montana State. After spending most of his rookie season on injured reserve, he was waived by Los Angeles as part of final cuts in 2023 and signed with the Bears two days later.
"His teammates were proud of him for being a Pro Bowl alternate," Hightower said. "Growing and coming from a place where nobody in the league wanted him and he couldn't play, then now he's regarded by his peers as one of the better special teams players in the NFL. And he's not satisfied and that's what I like about him."
Camp competition
Hightower is eager to see first-year pro Luke Elkin and undrafted rookie Beau Gardner battle for the long snapping job when the pads come on in training camp.
Elkin was with the Bears last summer in training camp and spent a few weeks on the Raiders practice squad late last season. At Iowa, he teamed with Bears punter Tory Taylor.
Gardner played six college seasons at UCLA (2020-23) and Georgia (2024-25), winning the Patrick Mannelly Award last year as the top long snapper in college football.
Evaluating long snappers starts with speed and accuracy, but there are other factors.
"Those things for sure. Then you have to consider the way they work with the other two players (the kicker and holder) because that's a team," Hightower said. "Those three together in operation, you have to make sure that's always flowing smoothly. Then you have to look at the punt piece of it too. That's two guys, the punter and the long snapper. And if they can protect or not. A lot of guys can snap a ball, but not [all of them] can protect. That's often the downfall of long snappers."
