The Chicago Bears have plenty of weapons for Caleb Williams to utilize this season, but who will claim the third wide receiver spot?
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Today let's look into the Bears' wide receiver room.
Who will be the 3rd WR? Rome or Luther will probably be out for some portion of Season so who gets the 3rd WR Reps? Maybe a TE? -- @SkaleWealth
Although I believe Colston Loveland will have a significant portion of the receptions and yards next season, we'll direct the focus to strictly the wide receivers.
If Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III stay relatively healthy this season, those two will be the top pass catching targets in the room. Another year in coach Ben Johnson's offense with Caleb Williams entering his third season should create plenty of opportunities for Odunze and Burden.
The third wide receiver spot on this team feels like an obvious choice: Kalif Raymond.
Johnson and Raymond go back to their time in Detroit. When Johnson became the offensive coordinator in 2022, Raymond had his best year of his career, catching 47 passes for 616 yards.
When Bears backup quarterback Tyson Bagent joined the REKAP YouTube channel, he highlighted his new teammate as someone to buy stock in this season
“I'm going, Kalif Raymond is a bad dude, man, I'm telling you," Bagent said. "He's explosive, man. I can see him fitting in somewhere in our offense. This is a way-too-early buying stock, but he’s been a great addition.”
The 31-year-old receiver should get playing time over third-round draft pick Zavion Thomas and, most likely, Jahdae Walker. Now, I still expect those two receivers to contribute on offense but sparingly throughout the year.
That's also the case for Raymond.
After that first initial season in 2022, Raymond's production and snap counts dipped.
- 2022 Season: GP 17, REC 47, TGTS 64, YDS 616, TDs 0, FD 24
- 2023 Season: GP 17, REC 35, TGTS 44, YDS 489, TDs 1, FD 20
- 2024 Season: GP 12, REC 17, TGTS 22, YDS 215, TDs 2, FD 10
That are plenty of reasons for that, but having a pass catching tight end like Sam LaPorta and a receiving threat in running back Jahmyr Gibbs will take away opportunities.
It should be a similar situation in Chicago with Loveland, Cole Kmet and D'Andre Swift, especially with Johnson's recent comments about wanting to get the Bears' running back more involved in the passing game.
Olamide Zaccheaus finished with 39 receptions, 313 yards and two touchdowns in his one season in Chicago last year. I could see Raymond ending the 2026 season with a similar stat line.
If Thomas continues to impress the coaching staff, he could earn himself some more reps throughout the year. That also applies to Walker as well.
The Bears have a lot of weapons for Williams to work with in 2026, and Raymond gives the unit an experienced wideout who knows Johnson's offense.
