Good morning!

Welcome to my favorite part of the year. For those of us with multiple televisions in the same room, this is our Super Bowl.

Remember the Boss Button on the official March Madness site? Look how far we've come. Nowadays, we're hosting parties at the office and putting everything else on the back burner.

I haven't won a bracket pool since middle school, and I doubt that'll change anytime soon, but every single year, for at least an hour, I think I've finally cracked the code.

Good luck today, and may your brackets make it to the weekend — or at least into the afternoon. Rock Chalk!​

Something about return specialists named Devin...

The Bears announced the signing of wide receiver and return specialist Devin Duvernay on Wednesday afternoon. Chicago also officially re-signed running back Travis Homer.

• Duvernay, 27, spent the first four years of his career with the Ravens before signing a two-year deal with the Jaguars in free agency last March. Primarily a return specialist, Duvernay was released by Jacksonville when the new league year began last week.
  

• In 2021, Duvernay was a first-team All-Pro punt returner, averaging 13.8 yards per return. A third-round pick in 2020, he never became a strong receiving option in Baltimore's offense, and in the past two seasons, Duvernay has just 15 receptions on 25 targets.
  

• DeAndre Carter, who handled the bulk of the Bears' returns last season after the team parted ways with Velus Jones Jr., also signed yesterday, but with the Cleveland Browns.

Gone are the days of return specialists like Devin Hester. Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame last year, Hester simply returned kicks like nobody else.

Chicago hasn't seen a record-breaker like that since he departed in free agency 11 years ago, and I doubt the NFL will ever see somebody with his ability to frequently turn nothing into something. Cordarrelle Patterson is probably the closest since.

The problem with the Bears' returners of late has been their acute ability to turn something into nothing. Then again, returners—aside from Hester—are only as good as their special teams unit, and the special teams unit is only as good as the talent on the bottom half of the roster.

That's why Chicago's offseason plan hasn't just focused on bolstering the trenches. Special teams coordinator Richard Hightower, one of the only holdovers from Matt Eberflus' staff, is clearly making his voice heard pertaining to Ryan Poles and Ben Johnson's offseason roster building.

Chicago's first moves this month were extending Josh Blackwell, Amen Ogbongbemiga and Tarvarius Moore. Sure, they're fine depth pieces, and all three received some rotational defensive snaps later in the season, but above all else, they're hard workers for Hightower's unit.

Adding a return specialist had to be somewhere high on Chicago's offseason priorities list. While Duvernay might not be the elite returner he was when he received the All-Pro nod in 2021, he's a veteran option in a position where the Bears otherwise had a deficiency.

And running it back with Homer, who also returned some kicks last year, just adds another hard worker to the special teams unit.

​Our Free Agency Frenzy Tracker is still being updated every day!​

Quick Hits

• Bad News Bulls: Chicago suffered their 40^th loss of the year late Wednesday night in Phoenix despite a strong fourth-quarter push. Josh Giddey scored 22 points in his return to the lineup following a week-long absence due to a sprained ankle. In his column yesterday afternoon, Will Gottlieb ​explored whether recent improvements to Giddey's game are the result of real development or unsustainable shooting efforts​.
  

• Gather 'Round the Campfire: The White Sox are introducing a new milkshake at Rate Field in 2025 — the Celebration Cake Shake. The tasty treat contains birthday cake ice cream, confetti cake, a pinwheel cookie, and enough whipped cream and sprinkles to block your vision from the on-field product. And don't worry... the Campfire Milkshake isn't going anywhere.

Today!

• 📺 CHGO Bears @ 12 on YouTube

• 📺 CHGO Cubs @ 1:30 on YouTube

• 🏀 SIU-Edwardsville vs. Houston @ 2 on TBS

• ⚾️ White Sox vs. Angels @ 3:05

• 📺 CHGO White Sox @ 4 on YouTube

• 🥅 Blackhawks vs. Kings @ 7:30 on CHSN

• 📺 CHGO Bulls @ 8:30 on YouTube

• 🏀 Bulls @ Kings @ 9 on CHSN+

• 📺 CHGO Blackhawks POSTGAME on YouTube

• 📺 CHGO Bulls POSTGAME on YouTube

Comments, questions, or gripes? Hit reply and let me know!

Otherwise, I'll talk to you tomorrow!