Jan. 19--The Chicago Bears began building new coach John Fox's staff Monday, hiring Jeff Rodgers to be their special teams coordinator.
Rodgers succeeds Joe DeCamillis, who filled the position for two years under former head coach Marc Trestman.
Rodgers served as Fox's special teams coordinator throughout their four-year stint with the Denver Broncos. During that time, the Broncos ranked 10th in the NFL in gross punting average (45.6 yards per punt) and 11th in net punting average (39.6 ypp). The Broncos' 24.5 kickoff return average ranked ninth in the NFL in that period.
Rodgers also worked under Fox for two seasons in Carolina, serving as a special teams assistant in 2009 before being promoted to special teams coordinator in 2010.
Rodgers previously was the special teams coordinator for Kansas State in 2008. A native of St. Paul, Minn., Rodgers played linebacker at North Texas.
