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Bears looking to replace Graham

Finding a gunner on punt coverage to replace departed free agent Pro Bowler Corey Graham is at the top of special teams coordinator Dave Toub’s to-do list this summer.

“It’s key this year,” Toub said in advance of Thursday night’s preseason opener against the Broncos at Soldier Field. “We’ve got to replace Corey, so we’re trying to find that guy.”

Nickel back D.J. Moore will get the first opportunity.

“We think he can do it,” Toub said. “He’s got the quickest first step out of anybody on the team, so we think he’ll be able to get to the edge. It’s just a matter of him having the effort to go down every down and finish. It takes a lot of effort to play gunner because you’re going to get knocked down.

“It’s going to be brutal and you have to keep coming back. It takes a lot of tenacity to play that position. He thinks he can do it. I think he can. So we’re going to go with him at the start.”

Rashied Davis, a special teams standout with the Bears from 2005-10, also will get a chance to help fill the void. Davis was signed on Monday after Devin Thomas left training camp intending to retire.

“Rashied’s definitely a possibility,” Toub said. “He’s going to take all the spots that Devin Thomas did. He’s going to step right in and do all the positions that he played when he was here.”