The Chicago Bears always planned to reshape the wide receiver position this offseason. They traded D.J. Moore to Buffalo because of salary cap issues and allowed Olamide Zaccheaus to leave in free agency. That opened up two of the top four spots on the depth chart. While Jahdae Walker may get a chance to fill one of them, head coach Ben Johnson knew he had to insert some experience into that mix. He chose to go with a familiar face. Kalif Raymond had worked with the Bears head coach for five years in Detroit. There was a level of trust that made the signing easy.
However, Johnson doesn’t do anything by halves. He had a plan going into the offseason. Something needed to change with his roster. Signing Raymond wasn’t just about adding speed and experience. The 31-year-old brought something else to the table. Something the Bears seemed to lack too often last season. Dan Pompei of The Athletic discovered what it was.
As Ben Johnson considered how to elevate wide receiver impact, the head coach of the Chicago Bears didn’t think about downfield speed, playmaking ability or route running. He thought about grit…
…Raymond told him he was already looking forward to training camp. Especially one day.
“My favorite day of the season,” he told Johnson, “is the first day of pads.”
The first day of pads is when character is tested, courage emerges and timidity is exposed. It’s when suspicions become convictions and the pretending stops…
…Johnson wants his Bears to prepare more intensely and with more purpose. And he sees Raymond as a way to make that happen.
Kalif Raymond understands the NFL grind.
After all, the wide receiver had to fight just to stay in the league as an undrafted free agent. Nothing was ever handed to him. He knew that if he ever got comfortable and stopped working, teams wouldn’t pick up the phone anymore. That meant he must get accustomed to a relentless approach to the game. Prepare with a purpose. It’s little wonder Johnson grew to like him. Don’t forget he stated during the Bears’ rough start in September that the team’s preparation wasn’t anywhere close to championship caliber.
While it may have improved enough to make the playoffs, this move suggests the head coach still isn’t satisfied. Given the sloppy way the team performed in its playoff loss to Los Angeles, that isn’t surprising. This team is still not sharp enough to make a championship run. Raymond may not be a star, but he works harder than most. He doesn’t take anything for granted. He should be able to help instill that mentality in his new teammates in the coming months.
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Raymond certainly seemed to have an impact on young teammates in Detroit.
He was there when the Lions drafted Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams. Both eventually developed into Pro Bowl-caliber players. St. Brown called Kalif Raymond the best teammate he ever had. That offers a good idea of what the veteran brings to the table. He’s a good player. That was the main selling point, but such additions can’t be just about what someone does on the field. What do they offer in the locker room? That is what Johnson had in the back of his mind this offseason.
He recognized that the Bears had a highly talented group of young players. The problem with such a large collection is that they often lack a clear sense of what it takes to achieve greatness. Smart coaches often help with this by bringing in veteran players with notorious reputations for obsessive work ethics. Every athlete is competitive. They don’t want to lose in anything, including the idea that someone is outworking them. That is what Raymond will bring to the table.
