ESPN

LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Travel-related issues caused by recent storms in the Chicagoland are believed to have forced a handful of Chicago Bears players to miss the final day of the club's voluntary three-day minicamp on Thursday, including Pro Bowlers wide receiver Brandon Marshall and defensive tackle Henry Melton.

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LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Chicago Bears special teams coordinator Dave Toub clarified Devin Hester's role on kickoff returns Wednesday in the wake of the club adding former Pro Bowl return man/wide receiver Eric Weems to the roster in free agency.

Weems signed a three-year contract with the Bears on March 14 after spending the previous five seasons in Atlanta where he posted consecutive 1,000-yard return seasons (2009,10) on kickoffs for the Falcons.

"[Hester’s] still our No. 1 kickoff returner," Toub said. "So when we need a big one Devin is going to be in there. We have the luxury of having Eric Weems, so there will be times when we have them both back there. We'll kind of trick people as to who exactly is going to get the ball… we'll kind of move one guy up late. We'll also try to make them kick it away from Devin, maybe he can get the ball to Weems at times. There will also be times when just Weems is back there with a fullback. He's definitely a luxury for us. [Weems] can take it to the house, I mean he's scored touchdowns [on kickoff returns] and went to the Pro Bowl before.

"We're fortunate to have him."

Weems is expected to contribute in several phases of special teams, not just in the return game. Toub believes Weems can help replace 2011 Pro Bowl selection Corey Graham, who left the Bears in the offseason to sign with the Baltimore Ravens.

"That's the good thing about him; he's a good returner but he's also a good cover guy," Toub said. "He's here because he's a good cover guy. He's a No. 1 gunner. He's done a good job in that role.

"The other guy who's going to pick up a lot of slack is Blake Costanzo. He was a really good pickup for us. Those two guys were our No. 1 free agents on special teams and we got them both. They're both really good additions."

Chicago Bears receiver Alshon Jeffery went down with leg cramp in the team's first rookie minicamp workout on Friday.

Trainers came out to stretch out Jeffery, but the 6-4, 229-pound second-rounder out of South Carolina couldn't continue and was taken off the field for precautionary reasons. He's expected to be fine.

"[He was just] cramping up," Bears head coach Lovie Smith said. "Guys do a lot of working out on their own, but it's not like when you come here and work out. I really liked what Alshon did earlier in practice, for most of the practice really. I didn't see him drop a ball. He's got great hands, is a big target and really liked the way he came in. He's going to be a good football player for us."

Offensive coordinator Mike Tice also was impressed with Jeffery.

"I saw him make a few plays over there in the one-on-ones," Tice said. "Back in the day, we called that 'picking peanuts.' He was picking peanuts off some guys’ heads it looked like to me. So I think he’s gonna have the ability for us to make plays.

"You could tell he has some explosiveness about him. You could tell he has some ball skills. That’s why we drafted him so high. You can tell that he’s gonna be a playmaker for the Bears for 2012, and hopefully for many years to come."