As impressive as the Chicago Bears' offense has been through the first seven weeks of 2026, it's been an imperfect beginning for a handful of individual performers on that side of the ball. Whether it's Rome Odunze's drops or Colston Loveland's general involvement, it hasn't all been ideal. But Kalif Raymond's presence has allowed them to weather some of the growth still needed from the team's receiving corps.
Playing in Chicago on a one-year deal, Raymond was never going to replace the production of someone like the departed DJ Moore. After all, he was signed following the trade of Moore that correlated with expectations of an evolution from the likes of Odunze, Loveland, and Luther Burden III. Raymond's presence was more so to bring depth and something
of a security blanket-like presence in the slot (in addition to his work on the return side), a role he's filled admirably roughly a third of the way through the season.
Through seven games, Raymond's 26 receptions for 244 yards sit identical to Colston Loveland's and, as such, are tied for second on the team (behind Burden). He has one touchdown to his name, which came back in Week 3 against the Philadelphia Eagles. Again, nothing eye-popping but it's also been something essential, especially with a touch deeper of a look.
While much of Raymond's production did come in that Week 3 tilt, there's something to be said for what the analytics indicate about his performance thus far. On his 31 targets, Raymond has a catch rate of 83.9 percent. That number trails only D'Andre Swift among qualifying targets on the Bears and 15th in the league at large. His 8.0 percent catch rate over expected is behind only Burden. Additionally, Raymond's 134 yards after catch ranks third on the team while his 10 YAC over expected is, again, second to Burden among the team's receivers.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Raymond slides further down the list when you talk about air yards. His 5.9 air yards per target offer something much more middle-of-the-road, as does his 1.4 yards run per route. However, he's also averaging 5.0 yards of separation, a number which trails only Swift. Given the respective roles of the two, that's unsurprising. A running back and a security blanket wide receiver who isn't a deep threat? Nevertheless, that helps to illustrate exactly why Raymond is in Chicago in the first place.
Fulfilling this kind of role successfully has Raymond up at +14.7 EPA overall and +0.47 EPA per target. Both of those figures are tops on the team. Essentially, working those underneath routes largely across the middle affords Raymond plenty of space to be exactly where he needs to be: down the list of reads but with the hope of adding something extra after the catch. That combination of factors is what the Bears were hoping Raymond would provide, and there hasn't been anything that has unfolded through seven weeks to cause us to think that he's been anything other than successful at it.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Kalif Raymond filling ideal complementary role for Chicago Bears
