The Chicago Bears have hired Richard Hightower to be their new special teams coordinator — the last of the three coordinators to be hired by new coach Matt Eberflus.
Hightower has been the special teams coordinator with the San Francisco 49ers for the past five seasons. He has 15 years of NFL experience, including a stint as an assistant special teams coach for the Bears in 2016 under coach John Fox and special teams coordinator Jeff Rodgers.
Hightower’s 49ers unit helped spark a divisional round playoff win over the Green Bay Packers last month, blocking a punt and returning it for a touchdown in the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field. The 49ers upset the top-seeded Packers 13-10 on Robbie Gould’s walk-off 45-yard field goal as time expired.