Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles Keeping This Trend Alive in 2026

Like every NFL team, the Chicago Bears have been in training camp for the last week and a half or so. 

After each practice, various players and coaches have gone to the podium to field questions from the media. 

Recently, second-year receiver Luther Burden spoke to the media. What he had to say about veteran receiver Kalif Raymond stood out. Raymond joined the Bears after multiple years with the Detroit Lions, not only as a wideout, but as a great return specialist as well. 

Burden mentioned how Raymond is really like an extra coach. 

"Man, Kalif, he's amazing," Burden said. "He's really like a coach out there. He's a great guy on and off the field. Like, you can learn from him. Like, just his release package is freaking sick. Like, he's a great guy, man. Like, he's out the roof, man. Kalif is a great leader for the team." 

This may seem like Burden simply complimenting his teammate, but it really speaks to how the Bears have run their locker rooms during General Manager Ryan Poles' tenure. 

Let's look at some of the veteran leaders that Poles has brought in over the years.

Poles got the Bears' GM job in 2022. In 2024, he brought in veteran safety Kevin Byard. Byard needed a chance to show the NFL and himself that he was still a good player after the Philadelphia Eagles didn't re-sign him. 

He cemented his role at safety, but he had an even more important one in the locker room. Byard's veteran experience was extremely vital during his time here.

Poles added veteran defensive tackle Grady Jarrett to the mix last season to give the defensive line a veteran leader they could go to for wisdom. Jarrett hasn't lived up to his contract yet, but his experience is valuable. 

The Bears even had a guy like Case Keenum, who never saw the field last year during the regular season. He was mostly the emergency quarterback but played a key role in helping Caleb Williams progress, as we saw in the game against the New York Giants, where he instilled confidence in him and predicted he would lead the team to victory. 

As we know, the Bears won that game 24-20 after a fourth-quarter comeback. 

Poles and the Bears are doing something very similar with Raymond. This team needed another veteran presence in the receiver room after D.J. Moore was traded to the Buffalo Bills. 

Raymond has been in the NFL since 2016, so he has plenty of experience to share with the younger receivers on the Bears, like Rome Odunze, Burden, and Zavion Thomas. 

We are just now seeing the effects that Raymond is having on this receiving core. I don't think it'll be the last time we hear about it either. 

Raymond may just be a veteran receiver and a return specialist, but he has a much bigger role with the team than people realize. Poles knew exactly what he was doing when he brought him along this offseason.