When the Chiefs’ Corey Coleman muffed a punt late in last Saturday’s preseason game at Soldier Field, Bears rookie safety Elijah Hicks came close to recovering the loose ball, but Coleman was able to secure it.
“Last week, the guy on Kansas City muffed a punt and I almost got it,” Hicks said. “So I told myself no matter what I’m just going to keep running to the ball and I’m going to get the next one.”
Hicks not only accomplished that objective Thursday night, but he scored a touchdown, recovering Cade Johnson’s muffed punt on the goal line. The TD extended the Bears’ lead to 17-0 with :20 left in the first half.
The ball slipped through Johnson’s hands at the 10. A mad scramble followed, with the Bears’ Davontae Harris nearly recovering it inside the 5 before Hicks scooped it up.
“The way we practice, the way we work is you’ve got to run, you’ve got to finish,” Hicks said. “So regardless. I was going to run to the ball. That’s just kind of what our mojo is.”
Scoring a touchdown on special teams no doubt is a great way to enhance your chances of earning a roster spot. But the seventh-round pick from Cal knows that he must continue to produce.
“For me, it’s just all about getting better,” Hicks said. “That was a good play. [But] there are some plays I still need to clean up. I’m just going to keep on trying to get better and whatever happens from there happens. But I’m going to keep working on my game.”
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