Arguably, the biggest takeaway from the Chicago Bears' 2026 rookie minicamp was just how much trust the team has in Zavion Thomas. The LSU product impressed players and coaches and appears to be on his way to playing a meaningful role within Ben Johnson's offense. Perhaps one of the few Chicago players who shouldn't be happy about this development is offseason signing Kalif Raymond. The veteran's reunion with Johnson in the 2026 offseason appeared to offer a clear path into the team's starting lineup.
With the offseason departures of DJ Moore and Olamide Zaccheaus, the Bears lacked a third receiver behind Luther Burden and Rome Odunze. Raymond was signed early in the offseason and appeared to be the answer, having a history of starting with Johnson during the time the two spent together in Detroit.
However, it seems that this notion is quickly being upset by Thomas, who offers the benefit of the unknown. Even if Chicago opts not to make another notable addition at receiver, it could easily be Thomas stepping into a starting role. The franchise has already teased that they could utilize the rookie in a number of creative ways to get him into the lineup consistently. There is no better way of doing this than demoting Raymond to the fourth spot on the depth chart.
Raymond has had productive seasons in years past, but has a known ceiling and isn't the potential big-play risk that Thomas presents. The Bears have every reason to demote the veteran, and that has to be noted by the aging receiver.
Bears Could Push Kalif Raymond Behind Standout Rookie on Early Depth Chart
Raymond spent the 2025 season with Detroit and offered 289 receiving yards and a lone touchdown. This continued a recent theme with the 2024 production underwhelming as well, with Raymond having 215 receiving yards and very quickly becoming an afterthought in Detroit's offense. This all adds up to giving Thomas a very real path into the team's starting lineup.
It makes sense as well that you'd want to put a trio of young receivers all on rookie contracts on the field together. You would have the stability of Raymond off the bench and give Caleb Williams a great chance to take another leap.
Williams is at his best when playing backyard football, scrambling, and making something happen outside of the playbook. Thomas is the exact type of pass catcher that is going to thrive in this situation and find ways to utilize his speed to help the Chicago quarterback.
All of this adds up to Raymond having every reason for a healthy level of concern and the Bears needing to consider making an early lineup change. No question, the depth chart is very much up for debate and could soon find the rookie getting an opportunity far quicker than many fans expected.
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