Hightower returns for his fourth season as Bears special teams coordinator and his fifth year overall in Chicago, having previously served as the club’s assistant special teams coach in 2016 … He boasts 17 years of NFL experience, including stints with the Texans (2006-08), Commanders (2010-13), Browns (2014) and 49ers (2015, 2017-21) … Under Hightower’s guidance, three different Bears were named NFC special teams player of the week last year: Tory Taylor, Cole Kmet and Josh Blackwell … In addition, Taylor set franchise punting records for gross average (47.7 yards) and net average (41.6), and Cairo Santos esablished a team mark with eight field goals of at least 50 yards, capped by a game-winning 53-yarder as time expired to beat the Packers in the season finale at Lambeau Field … Last year the Bears led the NFL with two blocked punts, one of which they returned for a touchdown … Hightower grew up in Houston and was a three-year letterwinner and special teams standout at Texas, where he was coached by the late Darryl Drake, who served as Bears receivers coach on Lovie Smith’s staff from 2004-12 … Hightower went to Texas as an academic scholar, joined the football team as a walk-on and eventually earned an athletic scholarship.
