Kalif Raymond was signed by the Chicago Bears when free agency began over a week ago. It came as somewhat of a surprise. Most people believed the Bears would either retain Olamide Zaccheaus or add someone in the draft after trading D.J. Moore. Instead, they go with a familiar face for head coach Ben Johnson. He and Raymond worked together for four years in Detroit. Yet it appears he wasn’t the primary force behind the Bears’ decision to sign the veteran receiver. That was Antwaan Randle El.

Chicago’s wide receivers coach has a close relationship with Raymond. He isn’t just a fan of the player but also the person. This will be an invaluable asset to both the wide receiver room and the locker room as a whole. Randle El explained why to Larry Mayer of ChicagoBears.com.

“When you think about what we look for in players, [Raymond] exemplifies all that,” Randle El told ChicagoBears.com. “We want football players and that’s what he is. He has love for the game, passion for the game, and he’s going to be a great teammate—not only to the wide receiver room but to the players throughout the team.”

“When you’re talking about the on-the-field stuff just in terms of playmaking ability, that shows up all over the tape,” Randle El said. “It always has for him. So that’s a big addition: a guy with speed who understands football—seeing the coverage, knowing the coverage—and the veteran presence that he’ll bring to my room.”

It’s easy to see why coaches love him. Not only is Raymond well-spoken and intelligent, but he’s also unselfish. Not only was he a quality third option at wide receiver in Detroit, but an excellent kick returner on top of that.

Antwaan Randle El knows what Raymond brings.

The Bears really tried to make Zaccheaus work last season, targeting him 65 times. Unfortunately, he suffered persistent drop issues that eventually saw his role diminish. Raymond’s best season came in 2021, when he had 71 targets, totaling 576 yards and 4 touchdowns. Getting that from your projected fourth option behind Colston Loveland, Rome Odunze, and Luther Burden would be a big win for the Bears. His speed alone offers an added dimension they didn’t really have outside of Burden.

We already know to trust Antwaan Randle El when it comes to receivers. Not only did he have a successful playing career of his own in the NFL, but he was with Detroit when they drafted both Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams. If he believes Raymond will add a significant presence to the Bears’ offense, it’s best to take his word for it. They certainly got him at an affordable price. The big question will be how much of a role he plays on offense since he figures to be their primary kick returner.

The Bears probably aren’t done adding.

While Raymond will factor into the plans this year, it may not be for long. He only signed a one-year contract. He also turns 32 years old in August. This is a temporary solution to their depth problem. It would explain why the Bears are rumored to be interested in several possible receivers in the upcoming draft. Selecting one would give them long-term stability at the position. The only question will be what Johnson prioritizes. Speed appears to be the underlying focus of the offseason.

If that focus holds, then names like Brenan Thompson, Zavion Thomas, Deion Burks, and De’Zhaun Stribling are likely to get strong consideration. Much will depend on what Randle El sees in them. His voice certainly carries a lot of weight in that building. Raymond’s arrival is further proof. It’s nice to see the Bears take their coaches’ input seriously. Too many organizations don’t do that.

With the scouting combine over, the Chicago Bears have begun their tour of the college football pro day circuit. It is also around this time that they and other teams begin bringing in prospects for private visits. Each team is allowed a maximum of 30 per cycle, so they must determine who would benefit most from a long session. Until recently, Bears general manager Ryan Poles has focused on players he would likely draft somewhere in the top three rounds. Last year, they met with seven eventual 1st round picks, including Colston Loveland, and eight eventual 2nd round picks, including Luther Burden, Shemar Turner, and Ozzy Trapilo.

However, based on early evidence, it appears the Bears might be shifting back to an old strategy. In 2022, Poles seems to place a much heavier focus on prospects more likely to either go in the later rounds (4-7) or become undrafted free agents. Of the reported visits, nine players fell into that category. The idea was to get as much information as possible on players with fewer eyes on them since the Bears planned to be aggressive in the later rounds and undrafted free agency. They ended up making eight picks in the later rounds and signing 16 undrafted rookies.

Based on early evidence, it appears the team has shifted back to that strategy for the 2026 NFL draft.

The Chicago Bears have not yet been reported meeting a top prospect.

To date, five names have been revealed to have come to Chicago for a meeting with the team. All five are projected to go on day three of the draft or become an undrafted free agent.

• Indiana DE Mikail Kamara
• Kentucky RB Seth McGowan
• Kentucky C Jager Burton
• Ole Miss WR De’Zhaun Stribling
• Michigan LB Jimmy Rolder

This is somewhat curious since the Bears currently have just three picks on day three. They traded their 5th and 6th rounders, leaving them with a 4th and two 7ths. That either means Poles plans to do significant wheeling and dealing in the draft to acquire more or come out aggressively on the undrafted market. Both are distinct possibilities. Poles did a ton of trading in 2022 to secure more picks. He already knows how.

So the obvious question is, why do this? The short answer is depth. Chicago’s roster took a significant hit this offseason. No fewer than 10 players from their team last year have departed in free agency for other teams. Two, D.J. Moore and Tremaine Edmunds, were traded and cut, respectively. The Bears have lost seven full or part-time starters since the offseason began. Now, some of those holes have been plugged with the arrivals of Coby Bryant, Devin Bush, and Neville Gallimore. However, they still have significant holes across the board.

And they’re out of money.

The Bears have two options.

They can restructure several contracts, clearing cap space to sign more veterans, or they can lean into their scouting department and go hunting for lots of young talent. It requires good evaluation and strong enough coaching to make it work. For a long time, they didn’t have the latter. That has changed with the arrival of Ben Johnson and his staff. The Bears’ head coach wants to build this team in his vision. You don’t do that might bringing in cast-offs from other teams. He wants kids from college who are eager to work.

Not all of the names the Chicago Bears bring in will pan out. That is the nature of the NFL. The goal is to see if they can land three or four legitimate contributors in a large pool. It worked in 2022. They landed Braxton Jones in the 5th round as a starting left tackle. Safety Elijah Hicks came in the 7th round and became one of their best special teams players. Last but not least, undrafted free agent linebacker Jack Sanborn emerged as a quality starter on defense. There is a method to the madness.

Chicago Bears players weren’t sure what to make of Ben Johnson when the team hired him in January of last year. All they knew was his reputation as one of the NFL’s top offensive minds, fresh off immense success in Detroit. While they meant good things for quarterback Caleb Williams, some were skeptical he could translate that to an entire team. He was young after all, only 38 years old. Too many previous head coaches came in around that age, thinking they had all the answers, only to realize they weren’t ready. Longtime safety Kevin Byard had seen it before.

It didn’t take Johnson long to disabuse players of that notion. He promised, in his introductory press conference, that guys should get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Nobody was quite sure what he meant at the time. Byard soon found out in training camp. He told Jordan Schultz of The Schultz Report that in his decade-long NFL career, it was the hardest one he’d ever experienced. Keep in mind, this is a man who had Mike Vrabel as his head coach for a large chunk of it. That should tell you how maniacal Johnson was.

Players hated it. However, it didn’t take long to realize the underlying goal behind such an approach.

Ben Johnson embraces a philosophy that goes back decades.

Everybody is always focused on the games and their results. They never see the work that goes into practice every day. The best teams, based on history, are the ones who practice the hardest. NFL icon Vince Lombardi had a telling quote about this during his run with the Green Bay Packers.

“We win our games in practice. We learn and follow the fundamentals of our game better than anyone in the league. All of our games are won in practice.”

The best way to understand a player is how they perform when they’re exhausted and hurting. Only long, grueling practices can offer answers to that question. Too many head coaches nowadays care about practices being crisp and structured.

Not Johnson. While he demands the same high level of execution, he does everything possible to simulate a game atmosphere. That includes conducting brutal live tackling drills, allowing players to go full speed. The goal is not to punish them. It is to get their bodies and minds calloused to the grind of an NFL season. Including the playoffs and Super Bowl, there are 20-21 games to be played. Only the toughest and best-conditioned teams survive to the end.

This game has no room for mercy.

Ben Johnson cares about his players. That has been obvious from the beginning. However, he also understands the fundamental law of football. It isn’t for cowards. If you can’t handle tough practices, there is no way you can be trusted deep in the 4th quarter of a tight game. That goes back to another Lombardi quote.

“Fatigue makes cowards of us all.”

The Bears’ head coach needs to know who he can trust when the chips are down, and one last effort is needed to cross the finish line. It’s apparent his message got through since the team led the league with seven 4th quarter comebacks. Chicago was learning about the value of true hard work and sacrifice.

It certainly doesn’t sound like Johnson has any intention of changing his way. He said the Bears were starting over from square one, having to rebuild the team again, most likely with a long list of new faces. They must all learn the core necessity of hard work. We will find out this summer who can take it and who may soon be looking for a new home. One thing Byard probably won’t admit publicly is that signing with the New England Patriots gets him away from those practices.