Bears hope for good 'return' on investment
Brad Biggs April 12, 2014
Comparisons to Devin Hester are going to come for Chris Williams or whoever winds up becoming the Bears' primary returner.
It has nothing to do with what is realistic for Williams, who was a record-setting returner in the CFL in 2011 and '12 as well as an extremely productive slot receiver. It's an inevitability and one that Williams has to understand.
Hester, the most dynamic returner in NFL history, has moved to the Falcons for the next chapter of his career, and Williams is someone general manager Phil Emery's front office identified as a replacement before last season ended. The Bears tried multiple times to lure him from the Saints practice squad before finally getting it done Dec. 26, three days before the final game of the season.
The Bears wooed Williams away from the Saints with a $100,000 signing bonus, a financial commitment that is rare for practice squad players.
Williams, 26, spent time in Florida last month training with his new teammates and now he's looking forward to the start of the voluntary offseason program on April 22. Wide receiver Brandon Marshall made sure to include Williams in the Florida workouts that quarterback Jay Cutler also attended.
"It was awesome," Williams said. "It's nice to be welcomed and all of us putting in the work for the same common goal, it's what team is to me.
"It's what we need so when we hit those rough patches. We can look back on building those bonds and knowing (a guy) put in the work and is willing to put in the work for his teammates and himself. It's going to come back and help us in a big way."
Soon, the Bears will be able to put Williams to work in the offense as it is difficult to determine much when it comes to special teams until training camp and exhibitions. Marc Trestman coached against Williams for two seasons when the New Mexico State product was the CFL's most outstanding rookie in 2011 and the league's special teams player of the year in 2012.
"When he touched the ball, everybody was on the edge of their seat and to beat the team he was on, you had to neutralize him," Trestman said.
The burning question is whether or not Williams' skills will translate to the NFL? If so, he will be a bargain. He gets a $25,000 roster bonus if he's on the 53-man roster for Week 1 and has base salaries of $495,000 this season and $510,000 in 2015. Dolphins defensive end Cameron Wake was named the CFL's top rookie four years before Williams and has been a Pro Bowl performer in three of five seasons with the Dolphins.
Wide receiver Andrew Hawkins, who played for Trestman in Montreal, just went from the Bengals to the Browns on a $13.6 million, four-year contract as a restricted free agent and Williams was far more productive in the slot and on special teams in Canada.
Williams, who ran the 40-yard dash in 4.28 seconds at his pro day in 2009, led the Hamilton Ti-Cats with 83 receptions for 1,298 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2012 when he also had five punt returns for touchdowns and returned a missed field goal 119 yards for a touchdown. As a rookie in 2011, he led the Ti-Cats with 70 catches for 1,064 yards.
"We haven't seen enough," Trestman said. "Obviously, we think Chris has got some unique athletic talent. We do play in weather and that affects the ability to catch the ball. So that is an advantage for him."
It's not Williams' first trip to the NFL. Before the practice squad stint with the Saints, which began in October after he won a protracted legal battle to leave the CFL, he had brief stays with the Dolphins and Browns. Now, Williams believes he's ready to flourish.
"I know what to expect now," he said. "Going to Canada, it helped. It definitely humbles you as a player, for sure, and as a person. It helped me develop a new mindset of what I need to do to go through a whole season.
"Everyone's situation is different and everyone ends up where they are for a reason. It doesn't necessarily mean you were not good enough. I made the best of what I could and now that I am getting this opportunity, I want to show I can be helpful and successful on any team."
The Bears figure to give Marquess Wilson the first shot at replacing Earl Bennett as the No. 3 receiver in the offense. But Williams will be able to show what he can do and he could become a package player. Then, there is the return game where the Bears are most interested in what the 5-foot-8, 175-pounder can do with punts after Hester gave the team such an edge for eight seasons.
"We're not comparing him to Devin Hester," Trestman said. "That is not fair. We think he can compete and he has the athleticism to do that. We'll see."
Williams can't wait to start but he's not going to pigeonhole himself as a returner.
"Being a big-time producer is not something that is new to me," he said. "For me to have an extended role in the offense would be awesome. Whatever the coaching staff wants me to do, I am more than willing. That is really the bottom line."