Kalif Raymond’s fast start for the Chicago Bears no longer looks like a one-week blip. Three games into the season, the veteran receiver keeps stacking production in Ben Johnson’s offense, and Monday’s win only strengthened the case that what we’re seeing is real.
Raymond delivered 90 receiving yards and a touchdown, giving him 214 receiving yards and a score through three games. That kind of pace would be a major leap from what he did with the Detroit Lions last season, when he finished with 289 receiving yards and one touchdown across 15 games.
What makes this even more striking is that Raymond isn’t just filling space. He has been more consistent than Luther Burden or Rome Odunze, which is not where many expected the Bears’ receiving pecking order to land. The tape backs it up, too: Raymond is finding ways to separate against both man and zone coverage, and this isn’t some short-lived hot streak.
Ben Johnson clearly believed Raymond could do more in Chicago than he was allowed to do elsewhere, and the Bears are seeing the payoff. It wasn’t a talent issue in Detroit so much as an offense that never really let him stretch out into this kind of role.
Now the question is how Chicago should use him moving forward. Taking him off punt and kick return duty is at least worth considering, especially with the injury risk that comes with those jobs and Raymond’s importance to the offense. There was already a scare in Monday’s win when Raymond took a shot and looked slow getting up before heading to the sideline.
That leads to the bigger roster conversation: whether the Bears should keep Raymond locked in as a full-time receiver and look elsewhere for return help. The concern, of course, is the lack of experience behind him and the turnover risk that comes with changing things. Even so, there’s a strong argument that protecting Raymond and keeping Chicago’s top three receivers healthy is the smarter play.
However they handle it, Raymond has become a far more important piece than anyone could have expected. The bar is going to keep rising from here, and the early signs point to a career year under Ben Johnson.
In Other News...
Bears WR Luther Burden Just Created A Serious Problem After Scoring
With Caleb Williams sidelined for a few weeks by a Grade 2 hamstring injury, the Bears have been leaning on 38-year-old Case Keenum to steady the offense, and the veteran quarterback found a welcome target when Luther Burden turned an eight-yard pass into a touchdown. It was the kind of play Chicago needed in a stretch where every clean snap matters, especially with the offense adjusting on the fly to life without its starter.
Burdens moment quickly took a darker turn, though, when he used a racial slur on camera after scoring, a remark that was audible to viewers at home. What should have been a simple highlight now leaves the Bears dealing with an entirely different kind of fallout, one that has little to do with the box score and everything to do with how the team handles the incident from here. [Read more 🡒]
Bears Anthem Decision Turned Soldier Field Into A Fan Debate
Monday Night Football at Soldier Field brought more than the usual pregame buildup, as the Bears used the stage to celebrate Latino Heritage Month with a full slate of programming around the matchup. Mariachi Herencia de Mxico performed the national anthem, making it the first time a mariachi band had done so at Soldier Field, while honorary coin toss captains were recognized as Youth Leaders and fans received Vamos Bears flags as part of the nights festivities.
The celebration also carried into halftime, where the team highlighted Latin music history in Chicago as part of the broader tribute. But the anthem choice quickly became part of the conversation beyond the stadium, with reactions split on social media as some fans embraced the nod to culture and others pushed back on the decision. [Read more 🡒]
Troy Aikman Sparked A Bears Debate Fans Werent Having
The Bears Monday night win over the Eagles came with the kind of in-game debate that has become just as much a part of modern football as the play-calling itself. With Caleb Williams sidelined by injury and Case Keenum making the start, Chicago still kept the pressure on Philadelphia and made one of those high-leverage decisions that tells you a coaching staff trusts its approach, even on the road in prime time.
Chicagos choice to go for it on fourth-and-goal from the 3-yard line drew immediate confusion from Troy Aikman in the booth, and plenty of fans were right there with him in the moment. The attempt came up short, but the Bears stayed in control and still finished off the win, adding another data point to the league-wide push toward aggressive fourth-down football, even when the conversation it sparks is the loudest part of the night. [Read more 🡒]