As a steady, talented presence at cornerback for the Blue Devils during his collegiate career, Blackwell entered the NFL with limited special teams experience. He totaled 25 punt returns at Duke, but had no experience on the coverage units.
That changed just two games into his pro career.
In the Bears' Week 2 matchup in Green Bay on Sunday Night Football Sept. 18, 2022, when the special teams unit suffered an injury in the third quarter, Hightower called on Blackwell.
"I wasn't even a gunner yet," Blackwell said. "I was on two special teams units — kickoff and kick return. I didn't do anything else. We had an injury, and he was like, 'it's on you.' I had done it a couple times in the preseason, but I didn't do anything in those games."
Hightower and Blackwell can still recall that moment almost perfectly. The Bears' punt went 57 yards from the Chicago 29 to the Green Bay 14 down the right sideline.
Blackwell had a strong release off the line, beat his man with speed and, in Hightower's words, made an "unbelievable tackle," hitting Packers returner Amari Rodgers from high to low with his head at the right angle.
"From that point, with the joy that I saw him and his teammates have when he jumped up, you could just tell something was brewing after that," Hightower said.
"He just kept making more and more plays, so in that moment I knew that he was able to take the coaching that we had given him in the classroom, apply it to the field and go out and make it happen. He grew every week like that his rookie year."