The Chicago Bears used this offseason to retool the roster after an impressive 2025 campaign. They were able to bring in seven players via the NFL draft, including LSU receiver Zavion Thomas with the 89th pick in the third round.
His 4.28 speed is what catches fans' eyes and appears to be a weapon for this group on special teams. Yet his performance this offseason thus far has caught the attention of head coach Ben Johnson.
"He tends to make a play almost every single day right now that says, OK, if we can harness all of this energy and make sure that we can trust him and he's going to align where he needs to and run the route the way we need him to, that we really could use him and he could be a big weapon for us this year," Johnson said following a minicamp practice.
Thomas was pointed out as the biggest surprise for the Bears by ESPN's Courtney Cronin. And with training camp starting next month, Thomas could be in line to carve out a role for himself after getting praise from his head coach.
Zavion Thomas wasted no time winning over Bears coaches
It was a bit surprising when Chicago nabbed Thomas in the third round due to his unpolished route running at this stage of his career. That was a clear area that needs some improvement, but regardless, it looks like Thomas is still turning heads on the field.
While he still has to work on the fine details to earn the full trust of the coaching staff, he's clearly headed in the right direction. The fact that Thomas is making plays this early in the offseason shows his ability to do damage with the ball in his hands.
And that's exciting since there will be opportunities for Thomas to create a role for himself. The Bears moved on from DJ Moore this offseason, with their only additions to the room in free agency being Kalif Raymond and Scotty Miller. Rome Odunze and Luther Burden are the only two locks for serious playing time in 2026 at receiver, so if Thomas continues to impress the staff, he has a good shot to earn more reps.
In his collegiate career with the Tigers, he had 106 catches for 1,213 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns. As a returner, Thomas can flip the field. He racked up 584 punt return yards (9.7 yards per return), 952 kick return yards (27.2 yards per return), and three total touchdowns.
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Add that value in addition to his capability of being a weapon on offense, and you can see the vision Chicago had. It'll be interesting to see how Thomas produces in camp when pads come on, but there's reason to be optimistic.
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