Burned Bears worry about Seahawks rookie returner

After giving up the NFL’s only kick return touchdown this season to Cardinals rookie David Johnson, the Bears are just as concerned about another rookie, the Seahawks’ Tyler Lockett.

His six kick returns have yielded 135 yards, fourth-most in the league. He’s one of four players to return a punt for a touchdown, taking one 57 yards against the Rams.

“He’s proved that he can not only hit the sideline, but weave up the field,” special teams coach Jeff Rodgers said this week. “Productive guy. Big challenge. Looking forward to getting back on the horse and testing ourselves out. “

Share Events on The CubeLockett had “a lot of production at Kansas State,” Rodgers said. The question was whether he was able to translate that to the NFL. He has.

“He’s got great vision, good speed,” he said. “He’s changed his return style since college. A lot of times in college he was catching the ball and outrunning people. That was kind of the unknown when he got into the league, because most people cannot do that. There’s too much speed on the field.”

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Email: pfinley@suntimes.com