Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles disappointed the fan base when he decided not to bring in an elite edge rusher during the offseason, but there were plenty of good moves that the team still made.
Safety Coby Bryant's signing might be the most important one for the team after losing both of their starting safeties during the offseason. The Bears also made some bold moves, with releasing linebacker Tremaine Edmunds and signing Devin Bush in his place, while also selecting safety Dillon Thieneman in the NFL Draft and trading away wide receiver DJ Moore earlier.
One move stood out at the beginning as a good one for the Bears. Unfortunately, it might not have been as good as Bears fans initially thought.
How much of an impact will Kalif Raymond have in 2026?
It was seen as a solid move at the beginning with Raymond signing with the Bears. One, Raymond knows Bears head coach Ben Johnson's offense from their time together with the Detroit Lions, and two, the return game on special teams sees an upgrade with Raymond over Devin Duvernay.
The problem is that Raymond is seen as the replacement for Moore on offense as WR3, and it doesn't really fit what kind of receiver Raymond is. 616 yards is the most Raymond has had in a season, and he hasn't done that since 2022. His production has dropped over the years, with just 289 yards and one touchdown last season, and 215 yards and two scores in 2024.
Raymond is a good veteran to have in the wide receiver room, a spot Moore left when he was traded, but he is not nearly as good as Moore is. If the Bears think they got a good upgrade there, they are sorely mistaken.
Chicago is honestly better off looking at two other young options to fill that gap better on offense. Jahdae Walker caught two touchdowns in the last three games of the season and showed great potential. While many had questions about rookie third-round pick Zavion Thomas, OTAs showed that he could end up being a great weapon on this offense and special teams with his 4.28-second speed.
Read more: 4 Bears players fans want to see more out of in 2026 season
Johnson and Poles didn't make the wrong choice by signing Raymond, but the hope is that they are putting more of their chips on the table for guys like Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III, and Colston Loveland to be great. If they are hoping Raymond will be a major factor in this offense in 2026, that would be a mistake.
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