After trading away DJ Moore, the Chicago Bears knew they were going to have to search far and wide to find his replacement.
Within the roster, they had Jahdae Walker, who came on strong late in 2025 with two touchdowns in the final three weeks of the regular season. The Bears also signed one of head coach Ben Johnson's old weapons from the Detroit Lions, Kalif Raymond.
Bleacher Report writer Kristopher Knox thinks the Bears might have another player who is Moore's true replacement. Know named rookies that are trending in the right direction with Bears third-round pick wide receiver Zavion Thomas appearing to be that guy.
"The Chicago Bears made the bold decision to trade away standout receiver D.J. Moore early this offseason, but they may already have his replacement in third-round rookie Zavion Thomas. The LSU product drew some pre-draft buzz with a 4.28-second 40-yard dash. However, he'll need to add some polish to his game to be more than just a deep-threat novelty in Chicago. So far, his progress is encouraging."
Zavion Thomas is making a convincing argument that he should be WR3
OTAs had been a good time for Thomas as he impressed everyone with his skill set. He had two highlight plays that caught Bears fans' attention on social media with a deep ball catch from Caleb Williams and showed off the speed with a screen pass he caught from Tyson Bagent that he took to distance.
It's going to be one of the most appealing position battles at training camp in over a month, as Thomas will have to fend off Raymond and Walker. Raymond might have the advantage early on since he is familiar with Johnson's offense and he is more experienced. Walker had some nice moments late in the season, but he feels more like the fifth receiver on the depth chart.
Bears general manager Ryan Poles originally saw Thomas as more of a special teams guy, as they want to use that 4.28 speed to their advantage in the return game. The reality is that Thomas might be too good just to leave him on the bench.
Johnson already showed his hand by placing Thomas in the backfield the same way they used Moore last season. Things will be different for Thomas, though, because he is faster than Moore, and once they figure out how to get the ball in his hands, no one will catch Thomas.
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It may take some time for Thomas to develop, and he might not even start to begin the season, but he is already looking like Johnson is going to have a lot of fun with Thomas all over the field on offense.
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