The Chicago Bears traded DJ Moore away this offseason, partly for money reasons, but also with the expectation that their young receivers are all ready to step up in 2026. Moore was Chicago’s number one wideout all three years he was a Bear, averaging 81 receptions and 1,004 yards, and he never missed a game.
Ben Johnson’s offense may not feature any one receiver, but they’ll still need to replace Moore’s 979 snaps.
Roster Locks
Luther Burden III figures to be the biggest beneficiary of Moore not being in Chicago,
as he’ll slide into a full-time starter role now. Last year, as a rookie, Burden played in 15 games with 5 starts, and he caught 47 passes for 652 yards. He’s been mentioned as a breakout player by several analysts this offseason, which I agree with. There’s just something different about the way Burden moves on a football field, and I expect him to get at least 80 touches this season.
“He makes the first guy miss every time. That’s his trait,” quarterback Caleb Wiliams said about Burden on a recent appearance with Kay Adams. “He catches everything. Easy passes. Hard passes. He’s a friendly receiver; is what we call it as a QB. His route running and things like that, he’s super friendly. And when you get the ball in his hands, he makes that first player miss quite often.”
Rome Odunze was the 10th overall pick in 2024, and early on last year, he looked like a potential breakout star, but injuries derailed his sophomore season. After his hot four-game start to open the year (20 catches, 296 yards, 5 TDs), he missed five games and finished with 44 receptions for 661 yards and 6 touchdowns.
Kalif Raymond (5’9, 180) figures to start the season as the WR3, but the Bears are very high on 2025 UDFA Jahdae Walker (6’3″, 206). They kept Walker on the 53-man roster all season, and while they tried to make a special teamer out of him early, they eventually started giving him some offensive reps, and in weeks 16, 17, and 18, he played 78 snaps on offense and had 6 receptions for 87 yards and 2 TDs. As Walker and Raymond are physically different receivers, it may be a matchup game to see who plays more.
The Bears will likely bring rookie third-round pick Zavion Thomas around slowly, but he should be in the mix as a returner immediately. His 4.28 speed popped this offseason at Halas Hall, but head coach Ben Johnson has already discussed what he needs to see before making Thomas a consistent part of the offense.
“If we can harness all of this energy and make sure that we can trust him and he’s going to align where he needs to and run the route the way we need him to, that we really could use him and he could be a big weapon for us this year.”
A Good Bet To Make It
The Bears carried six receivers on the 53-man roster last year, so if the five above are locks, there’s only room for one more.
Considering he appeared in 13 games last year for the Steelers, and 93 total in his seven-year career, 29-year-old Scotty Miller makes sense. He doesn’t have a ton of special teams experience, but in 2022 and 2023, he logged 240 snaps in the third phase.
Roster Bubble/Practice Squad
Maurice Alexander has been with Ben Johnson for a few years now on his offense’s practice squads. He appeared in one game last year.
Kaden Davis spent parts of the last two years on the Browns’ practice squad, where he was elevated for three games. The Bears are his eighth professional stop since being a 2022 Broncos UDFA, and that includes a few months in Detroit with Ben Johnson in 2024.
JP Richardson was a 2025 UDFA, and he returns after spending last season on the practice squad while being elevated for one game.
The Bears have two rookie UDFA’s this offseason: Kyron Hudson (6’1″, 212) and Omari Kelly (5’11”, 190). Hudson was at USC for two years with Caleb Williams, and in 2025, while at Penn State, he caught 23 passes for 288 yards. Kelly was also in the Big Ten last season, and he had 47 receptions for 626 yards for Michigan State.
Do you see any surprises at receiver for the Bears this seaosn?
