Devin Hester Enjoying Renaissance as Explosive Weapon Falcons Have Been Missing

At 31 years old, Devin Hester was done with the Chicago Bears, the team that selected him with the 57th overall pick in the 2006 NFL draft. When the Atlanta Falcons signed him on March 20, ESPN.com's Vaughn McClure reported the team planned to use him in "creative ways."

That was certainly the case Thursday night versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a 56-14 laugher.

That creativity, so apparent in offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter's play-calling, has sparked a renaissance in Hester's career. With a punt-return touchdown, rushing touchdown, forced fumble and recovered fumble versus the Bucs, the ninth-year pro gave the Falcons an explosive weapon to use all over the field.

Tampa Bay couldn't contain Hester, who totaled 142 all-purpose yards over receptions, rushes, punt returns and kick returns.

Let's break down the ways the Falcons have been using Hester, allowing him to do what he did best for Chicago on punt returns while also breathing new life into his career offensively. 

Returns

If Hester wasn't already the definitive greatest return man in history, he earned that title Thursday night.

Hester broke Deion Sanders' previous record of 19 return touchdowns when he tallied his 20th, a punt taken back 62 yards in the second quarter of the Falcons' win.

He has 5,672 career yards on kickoff returns (five TDs) and 3,317 on punts (14 TDs). (Hester also returned a missed field goal for a score versus the New York Giants in 2006.)

The punt-return touchdown Thursday was his first for Atlanta. 

In Chicago, Hester saw a steady decrease in punt-return production over his last three seasons in a Bears uniform, even though his attempts nearly doubled between 2011 and 2012.

That was partly because, under Lovie Smith, the Bears in vain tried to increase Hester's role on offense as a receiver. Mark Potash of the Chicago Sun-Times noted, "Even numbers that clearly indicated Hester’s production as a kick returner waned as his emphasis on offense increased refused to sway them." 

In fact, he was a training camp holdout in 2008, telling the Chicago Tribune (h/t ESPN.com), "I'm not coming. I have to make a statement. I showed by going to [organized team activities] that I was a team player. But then, I just felt like they weren't taking it seriously that I wanted to get a new deal."

He added: "I can't go out and play this year making $445,000. Come on, man." Coach Smith responded with, "I know he would like to be out here. He realizes how important this work is, especially this early work with him becoming a full-time receiver."

It was no secret that Hester and quarterback Jay Cutler, the starter in 2009, didn't see eye to eye, and that is likely a reason why the wide receiver experiment in Chicago finally came to an end.

Head coach Marc Trestman put Hester back on primarily return duties when he took over in 2013, and Hester's use on kickoffs spiked to a career-high 52 attempts last season for 1,436 yards before the Bears decided to let him walk in free agency.

It must have been difficult for Lovie Smith to watch from the Tampa Bay sideline as Hester excelled in all facets of the game.

Offense

Hester's position is officially listed as wide receiver by the Falcons. But head coach Mike Smith and offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter have used him in a multitude of ways; he carried the ball Thursday for the first time since 2012 and scored the first rushing touchdown of his career.

His 20-yard rush also tied a career high.

In fact, the 20 rushing yards Hester has totaled so far this season puts him on pace to break his career high to date, when he had 61 yards on the ground over six carries in 2008.

Hester's role as a wideout is also more substantial for the Falcons than it was for the Bears, for whom he didn't record any receiving stats with in 2013. In 2009, the year Lovie Smith truly tried to turn Hester into an offensive weapon, he had 57 receptions for 757 yards. 

In 2014, he's on pace for 37 receptions for 668 yards, which would be his second-best receiving season since entering the league. With Julio Jones, Roddy White and Harry Douglas on offense, Hester won't break 1,000 yards.

Still, the increased use he's getting as a pass-catcher, and as an offensive weapon generally, in Atlanta is evident.

The Falcons signed Hester based on his return experience, which speaks for itself. But during training camp, Koetter saw what Hester could do as a wide receiver. 

"Excellent ball skills; very quick in and out of his breaks; a really good route runner for a guy who's not known as a wide receiver," Koetter told McClure at the end of the preseason. "So, Devin will definitely have a role on offense." 

In the preseason, Hester scored two touchdowns on catch-and-runs and totaled 71 receiving yards over six receptions. Through Week 3, he has seven receptions for 126 yards. 

It's unclear how serious the foot injury Douglas left the game with Thursday is, but if he misses time, Hester could see even more targets from Matt Ryan.

Thirty-one teams had a chance to sign Hester after the Bears let him walk in free agency, and Atlanta was the one that realized his potential as a difference-maker.

But in addition to Hester aiding in the turnaround of a Falcons team that went 4-12 in 2013 and ranked 20th in points per game, Atlanta has provided Hester with a platform to shine once again.