Before the 2026 NFL Draft, you might have figured wide receiver would be last on the list of the Bears’ draft priorities with Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III, Jahdae Walker, and the newly signed Kalif Raymond in the fold, not to mention having an elite pass-catching tight end in Colston Loveland on the roster.
If you did think that, you were mistaken. The Chicago Bears spent a third-round pick on a slot receiver/weapon in LSU’s Zavion Thomas, much to the chagrin of the fanbase.
Aside from the fact that
Thomas almost certainly could’ve been had on Day 3 somewhere, you might be asking yourself why Chicago would draft a receiver at all, given their roster needs and the fact that they just traded DJ Moore to make room for the receivers they already have.
Perhaps they don’t think receiver is nearly as solved as it seems. ESPN’s Aaron Schatz seems to share that opinion, listing slot receiver, in particular, as a continuing need for the Bears after the draft.
“The Bears use a lot of two-tight-end sets. However, they still were in 11 personnel 52% of the time last season, so they need to have a third starting receiver to go with Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III. Right now, that’s veteran Kalif Raymond, but Raymond is 31 and has had less than 300 yards in each of the past two seasons,” Schatz wrote.
Not to say “I told you so,” but…
As much as people (rightly) prioritized defensive line as a position of need over slot receiver in this draft, you have to consider whom we’re dealing with here.
Ben Johnson wants his offense to be explosive and multiple in the different ways it can attack defenses. And you could argue that the personnel last year with Rome Odunze, DJ Moore, and Luther Burden III, especially in the beginning of the year, was a little more redundant than he would’ve liked, while Olamide Zaccheaus was not as reliable as hoped. While it’s unreasonable to think the Bears need to find their own Amon-Ra St. Brown—those guys don’t grow on trees—they clearly wanted a better slot guy than what they had last year.
Whether or not they achieved that is…highly debatable.
Raymond feels like a Zacchaeus-type signing (though the fact that he hardly ever drops the football is an upgrade). He’s going to make the roster because of familiarity with Johnson and his special teams ability, not because he’s a game-changer in the slot.
Thomas, meanwhile, comes in as a rookie who is almost entirely raw materials. He’s extremely fast and has the makings of someone who can run routes, but his lack of major college production (1,213 receiving yards and seven touchdowns in four years) isn’t inspiring. I’d argue he has a more direct path to playing time as a running back than as a receiver at this level.
From that standpoint, the idea that the Bears need at least one more competent receiver is no joke.
Perhaps Burden, who nearly split his snaps between the outside and the slot last year, can be a movable piece as he transitions into a starting role. Additionally, Walker, who showed flashes of production last year, might be able to step in as a big-bodied outside receiver or slot when the occasion calls for it.
But perhaps the swing on two slot receivers this offseason—one in free agency and one in the draft—speaks to what Schatz is referencing: that the Bears still think they can never have enough playmakers to help Caleb Williams.
