The Chicago Bears‘ offense was really good last season. It finished in the top 10 and did so many things well. However, it always felt like something was just a little bit off. Most chalked it up to it being the first year in the system. Guys weren’t quite locked in yet. That would take time. However, there was another explanation that didn’t really get much attention when it probably should’ve. That was the lack of a presence at the slot receiver position. Head coach Ben Johnson said even before the season that the ball tends to “find the slot” in his offense. That is why Amon-Ra St. Brown feasted in Detroit. However, the Bears’ attempts to replicate it with Olamide Zaccheaus fell flat. Enter Kalif Raymond.
Chicago signed Zaccheaus because his skill set seemed to fit the slot perfectly. That is why he logged over 50% of his snaps there. The problem is that he couldn’t catch the ball consistently, finishing the year with 6 drops. That is probably why the Bears started moving D.J. Moore inside more often as the season progressed. Raymond’s arrival changes everything. You saw why in the opener against Carolina. His mixture of speed, quickness, route-running, and steady hands was a huge difference-maker.
Not only did he lead the team with 84 yards, but five of his catches went for 1st downs.
Kalif Raymond has brought the missing ingredient.
Think about this. The Carolina Panthers completely shut out Colston Loveland. You would think that would’ve gone a long way to stopping the Bears after what we saw last season. Instead, they still hung 59 points on the scoreboard. A big part of why was that Raymond kept making key catches to keep the offense on the field. Remember, Zaccheaus had 16 catches for 1st downs in 2025. Total. Raymond matched almost a third of that in one game. The value of this really showed up in the second half.
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The game was tied 31-31 in the 3rd quarter. Most of last season, the Bears struggled to pull away because they couldn’t sustain drives. This time, they scored four consecutive touchdowns. Kalif Raymond was a vital reason for this.
Drive #1
- Converts 3rd and 5 with 12-yard catch
- Converts 3rd and 5 with 7-yard catch
Drive #2
- Throws a timely block to spring Kyle Monangai for a 61-yard TD
Drive #3
- Makes 4-yard catch to set up 3rd and short
He wasn’t always the focal point of the attack, but he always found ways to make things a little easier for the offense. First, it was by moving the chains. Then it was by being a blocker. These were things Zaccheaus couldn’t really offer last season.
That signing may go down as one of the best of the offseason.
Most people just shrugged when the Bears brought Raymond in. It made sense. He was a veteran who had considerable experience playing in this offense. Still, they were skeptical about what impact he could have. After all, Raymond finished with just 289 yards last season. Maybe he’d be a solid #4 wide receiver behind Rome Odunze, Luther Burden, and Jahdae Walker. It didn’t take long to realize Johnson had far bigger plans for him than anybody realized. If anybody knew Raymond had more to offer than the stats indicated, it would be the Bears’ head coach.
Raymond may not be St. Brown. That doesn’t matter. What the Bears needed was somebody they could trust to play consistently from the slot. All they have to do is run the right routes and catch the ball. The system is good enough to take care of the rest. Raymond did exactly that on Sunday and the offense was unstoppable. He doesn’t need to be the star. He only has to keep things moving long enough for the stars to make the big plays happen. Johnson knew what he was doing.
