"Don't look for Devin Hester returning kicks or punts in exhibitions.

While special teams coordinator Dave Toub said a final determination hasn't been made, he said the electric return man "probably" would not see action starting with Saturday night's opener against the Bills at Soldier Field.

"If he's back there (on a punt) he's probably going to fair catch," Toub said. "I don't like putting him in there because I'll tell him to fair catch and he'll say, 'Oh, coach, it was open,' and he'll take off. I don't have to see him in preseason and he's getting a lot of work in practice. We need to evaluate the younger players and see who our backups are."

The Bears have been cautious with Hester in the return game in exhibitions before and it's a precaution against injury to the NFL's all-time leader in return touchdowns.

Toub has a host of backups to consider and Earl Bennett and undrafted Syracuse rookie Mike Holmes figure to have a role on punt returns. Holmes, who missed more than the first week of camp with an undisclosed injury, has looked good recently. The game will serve as the first real measuring stick on special teams after new practice rules reduced what teams can do during camp.

"Preseason is the most important thing for us on special teams to evaluate," Toub said. "Right now, it's about assignment football making sure everyone knows what to do. It's a matter of going full speed and how people are going to react.""