Many Chicago Bears fans were disappointed to hear that their rookie third-round pick wide receiver Zavion Thomas was expected not to play as much offense, with more focus on special teams in his first year, according to general manager Ryan Poles.
During the first week of OTAs, not much was discussed about the special teams portion of the Bears' workouts, but there was some noise about Thomas and the speed he showed. He lived up to the hype in that part of his game, with more to come that will have the fan base gushing over him.
The Bears' social media account shared a clip from OTAs showing quarterback Caleb Williams showing off his arm and bombing a deep pass. On the other side with the ball was a wide-open Thomas who tight-roped the sidelines for the touchdown.
Zavion Thomas already showing some good stuff at Bears OTAs
This is exactly what Bears fans were hoping to see out of Thomas when he got drafted to the team. While it was a controversial decision based on him being a projected Day 3 selection, the 4.28-second 40-yard dash speed was just too good to pass up on for the Bears, and so far, it's paying off.
Thomas is going to be buried on the depth chart early in his career at wide receiver, as Chicago has a lot of young talent in that room. Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III are the top guys, with Kalif Raymond and Jahdae Walker competing for the WR3 role with Thomas potentially in the mix as well. Veteran Scotty Miller might be a name to watch to disrupt the depth chart as well.
If Thomas wants to earn playing time, he will first have to do it through special teams as a returner, where he is expected to play a big role alongside Raymond. There could be a role for him as a slot receiver to be sent on deep passes or on screen passes with the offense. Thomas was also seen in the backfield at rookie OTAs, so that could be a potential role for him as well.
Read more: Ben Johnson subtly indicated who is winning Bears' position battle at OTAs
Bears fans are going to want to see the ball in Thomas's hand during the season, and head coach Ben Johnson is going to want to do that as well, as he knows what kind of weapon he has on his team if used the right way. OTAs were just a taste of the potential Thomas has on this Bears team.
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