Bears could hold Devin Hester out on offense again

Devin Hester didn’t play a single down on offense last week but did handle his share of returns on special teams for the Chicago Bears.

There is a chance Hester will be held out of the offensive package or limited again Sunday when the team plays at Oakland. He’s dealing with a painful shin injury and has also been hobbled recently by a sprained ankle. He’s got a couple of minor injuries going on and the Bears want to get him healthy soon but don’t want to miss his explosiveness in the return game.

“It's something that I've got to kind of deal with until I get better,” Hester said. “It's just real sore. Other than that, it's kind of like a nagging injury.”

He doesn’t believe he will be sidelined against the Raiders. Two weeks ago, Hester did not practice because of an ankle sprain and then played against the Detroit Lions and had an 82-yard punt return for a touchdown. He was held out of practices Thursday and Friday.

“I want to get a lot of rest on it and hopefully be ready for the game,” he said.

For the Bears, the trio of Johnny Knox, Earl Bennett and Roy Williams played well last week. So there isn’t a need to rush Hester back on offense where he hasn’t put up big numbers.

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Brad Biggs covers the Bears for the Chicago Tribune

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