Bears' Ben Johnson Loves What Zavion Thomas Is Doing But Trust Is Still the Missing Piece

Ben Johnson praised Zavion Thomas at Bears minicamp but said trust is the missing piece before Chicago can rely on the rookie receiver as a real weapon in 2026.

Chicago Bears wide receiver Zavlon Thomas. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

If you've been following along with the Chicago Bears' offseason program, you know there has been a fair amount of hype for wide receiver Zavion Thomas.

The 2026 third-round pick stood out on a regular basis during both OTAs and mandatory minicamp, with Thomas flashing his impressive 4.28 speed in practice. The rookie has shown he can be a deep threat for Caleb Williams, but also someone who can take a short pass to the house from anywhere on the field.

He has certainly caught the attention of head coach Ben Johnson, who believes Thomas can be "a big weapon" for Chicago if he can earn the trust of the coaching staff by learning the offense.

"He's got a long highlight reel in terms of showcasing that speed in the SEC," Johnson said during mandatory minicamp. "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.'"

Of course, it's going to be on the coaching staff to bring Thomas along, and more specifically receivers coach Antwaan Randle El and offensive quality control coach Isaiah Ford.

Johnson has total confidence in both coaches and is already seeing positive results from Thomas.

"Coach El and Isaiah Ford are doing a phenomenal job with him and the rest of the room, getting him up to speed and challenging him, and I think he's developing the work ethic we expect not only from a receiver but from anyone on offense or the team," he said.

Zavion Thomas' expected role

Chicago Bears wide receiver Zavion Thomas. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

No matter what his grasp is on the playbook, we expect Johnson to get the ball into Thomas' hands on offense, both on the ground and through the air, and the rookie should get looks in the return game, also.

But it's hard to see Thomas getting a big workload in 2026, at least early on, as he'll be the WR4, at best, behind Rome Odunze, Luther Burden and Kalif Raymond, with Raymond likely also standing in the way of Thomas getting more work in the return game.

That said, if Thomas can pick up the playbook quickly and proves to be a game-changer on offense, Johnson and the Bears are going to figure out how to get him the rock more often.