Wide receiver Zavion Thomas was a mystery to Chicago Bears fans. All they’d heard was that he looked great in practice since spring. However, he hadn’t suited up for either of the team’s first two preseason games due to injuries. That finally changed in the finale against the Tennessee Titans. Head coach Ben Johnson planned to give the 3rd round pick some snaps, knowing the receiver needed the reps. After the defense forced a punt to open the game, the Bears found themselves backed up to their own 3-yard line on their first drive. Not an ideal situation.
Still, Johnson decided to roll the dice. Rather than run the ball to create space, he dialed up a deep shot to Thomas. Tyson Bagent took the snap and, despite pressure, fired the ball down the field. Thomas ran a nasty double move, faking cornerback Keydrain Calligan right out of his cleats. He caught the pass and raced to a 97-yard touchdown. It was easily the biggest highlight of the preseason’s final day and a fitting reminder of why the Bears drafted Thomas.
What nobody knew at the time was that Calligan was actually mic’d up for that moment. His reaction to the play was equal parts astonishment and honesty.
“Oh…What the f**k? Had me looking stupid, bro. My leg almost broke!”
Zavion Thomas may have the best highlight of the season.
That is wild to say, considering how early it is. Even so, the circumstances must be taken into account. It was his first official snap in the NFL and went for what may end up being the longest touchdown of the year. Now you add that mic’d-up clip on top of it, and the sheer entertainment value will be hard to top. Thomas finished with 140 yards receiving for the game, and added a 39-yard punt return as an exclamation point. Backup competition or not, it is hard to argue that the young receiver has talent.
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The scary part is he isn’t even required to be heavily involved in this offense. Chicago already has an assortment of weapons led by Colston Loveland, Rome Odunze, Luther Burden, and D’Andre Swift. Don’t forget Kalif Raymond and Jahdae Walker as well. Johnson can bring the rookie in whenever the situation feels perfect. His versatility as a vertical threat and return man will allow the Bears coach to crack a massive package of plays tailor-made to those abilities. All without having to deal with a full workload, meaning he’ll be fresh.
It was a proof of concept.
Plenty of critics felt Zavion Thomas was way too much of a project to justify taking in the 3rd round. Johnson disagreed. He saw a player with rare speed who was a much more polished player than his stats made him seem. That double move might not be high on the difficulty scale, but the rookie still ran it beautifully. The cornerback had no prayer. Some are already saying he has the look of Devin Hester, but with a greater affinity for receiving. That might be overexaggerating, but there’s no reason to think he can’t be another Darnell Mooney.
What remains unknown is how much he’ll be deployed this season. There are only so many touches to go around. Johnson has said his biggest problem is keeping everybody on the offense fed. Thomas only adds to that challenge. He may slot into the Olamide Zaccheaus role from last season. Maybe fewer than the 60 targets the former veteran got. Then again, if Thomas makes things happen as he did in Nashville, the Bears won’t hesitate to get him more involved.
