There is a very real world where we get worried about the Chicago Bears' wide receiver room, and very quickly. It isn't something fans want to talk about, but it's a valid discussion.
Behind Luther Burden III and Rome Odunze, the Bears' best wide receiver might be former Detroit Lions veteran Kalif Raymond. Should either Burden or Odunze deal with an injury in 2026, Chicago could be in trouble.
Enter: Michigan State product and undrafted rookie Omari Kelly.
Omari Kelly could be the next undrafted rookie to make the Bears' roster out of training camp
This isn't a conversation to slight either Jahdae Walker or rookie Zavion Thomas, both of whom have given Bears fans a reason to have optimism about either one receiving more playing time. But without much NFL experience, there is room for doubt; at the very least, the unknown isn't particularly comfortable.
Funny enough, we're now talking about another guy without NFL experience in Kelly. But, he does bring an interesting skill set into training camp.
Much like Raymond, Kelly comes into the league with experience returning punts. In fact, returning punts was actually something Kelly was very, very proficient at. On 20 returns in college, Kelly averaged 11.7 yards and even took one back for a score.
He has a smaller frame at six feet, 190 pounds -- also like Raymond, who is even smaller at 5-foot-8, 180 pounds. Coming out of college, Raymond was pretty quick and ran a 4.34 40-yard dash. Kelly, meanwhile, ran a 4.48.
Now, at the pro level, that 40 time doesn't always matter in the ways we would like it to. If Kelly is able to offer depth on special teams and as a return man, it's going to be more on his vision that comes into play. He is plenty fast to break away in the open field once he's made it through the pack.
Being a little taller than Raymond, though, gives Kelly another advantage in being able to be used a bit more as a wide receiver. Raymond is definitely more of a slot guy when he's out there on offense, just as Kelly is projected to be.
Where he might find his biggest competition in training camp is for that final wide receiver spot with the likes of veteran Scotty Miller.
Miller is no guarantee to make the roster, even though he's been around the league a few years. He has never accumulated over 33 receptions in a season and, over the last three years, he's totaled just 25 combined receptions.
Ironically enough, Miller is another one of those smaller-framed receivers, listed at 5-foot-9 and 174 pounds.
If Kelly can come into camp and prove he's able to not only stand out as a special teams player, but also put some good practices together as a receiver, he very well could challenge for that final spot.
Michigan State fans would tell you they saw Kelly make plays in the middle of the field and after the catch, which would certainly get Ben Johnson's attention. In Johnson's offense, the more plays you can make with the ball in your hands, the better. That comes after the fact that Johnson will scheme guys open in creative ways.
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If Kelly can prove to be a threat with the ball in his hands -- which Miller is not -- then he has a real chance to surprise people as a roster candidate.
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