Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson always has something up his sleeve with the offense that no one thinks about, and he might have a special weapon on that side of the ball that he recently added to.
The Bears selected LSU wide receiver Zavion Thomas in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft, as he brings his 4.28-second speed to Chicago. While Bears general manager Ryan Poles has indicated that Thomas will be more of a special teams returner in Year 1, Johnson might have other plans for him. Chicago's media spoke with Thomas and asked about how he felt in a running back role, with the rookie showing that he could handle it.
"It's natural," Thomas said. "Like I said, I've been doing it my whole life, so I kind of don't really second-guess it. I just go out there and try to put my team in the best position to win."
Ben Johnson might have completely new type of weapon on offense with Zavion Thomas
Last season at LSU, Thomas showed off his versatility on offense with 488 receiving yards and four touchdowns, and 99 rushing yards and one touchdown. On special teams, he had 153 punt return yards.
The Bears have to start thinking about the future at running back, with Kyle Monangai entering his second season and most likely the future starter. Veteran D'Andre Swift might be playing his final season in Chicago after having a career year in 2025.
Thomas might just end up playing more running back than wide receiver if he is looking to get on the field. The Bears' wide receiver room is already loaded with Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III, Kalif Raymond, Jahdae Walker, and recently signed Scotty Miller out ahead of him.
Read more: Bears' newest free agent signing will make wide receiver room very nervous
Johnson tried to use DJ Moore last year as a wide receiver and running back combo, and that did not work. Thomas might be the solution for the Bears' head coach to use him to his full potential.
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