The Chicago Bears are just about finished with filling out their coaching staff. They hired Richard Hightower as the new special teams coordinator. This is Hightower’s second time working with the Bears. He spent time with the team in 2016 as a special teams assistant under coordinator Jeff Rodgers and then head coach John Fox.
Richard Hightower Experience
Hightower has a plethora of experience. 15 years in professional football is enough to warrant another shot in Chicago. He spent the last few years with the San Francisco 49ers. From the 2017-2019 seasons, the 49ers kicking unit ranked first overall in made field goals with 102. Furthermore, the Niners’ punt-coverage team ranked second and held opponents to an average of 5.7 yards-per-return. The only team better than that was the Indianapolis Colts with an average of 5.0 yards-per-return.
In San Francisco, Hightower’s job was made easy. Having a kicker like Robbie Gould, who was once dubbed ‘Mr. Automatic’, could make any special teams job easy. In 2018, Gould set the single-season franchise record for field goal percentage at 97.1 making 33 out of 34 kicks.
During Hightower’s first stint with the Chicago Bears, their kickoff coverage ranked seventh in the NFL in opponent drive-start average. Football is a game of field position after all.
Other Noteworthy Experience
- 2006-2008 Houston Texans Assistant/Special Teams Assistant
- 2009 University of Minnesota Wide Receivers Coach
- 2010-2013 Washington Football Team Assistant Special Teams Coach
- 2014 Cleveland Browns Assistant Wide Receivers Coach
- 2015 San Francisco 49ers Assistant Special Teams Coach
Richard Hightower brings a ton of experience to the Bears and joins a strong coaching staff alongside Matt Eberflus and Luke Getsy.
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