4 Chicago Bears Players Most Impacted by Kalif Raymond Signing in Free Agency

The Chicago Bears made a much-needed addition to their wide receivers room when the team inked former Detroit Lions wide receiver Kalif Raymond to a one-year deal.

The Bears saw a pair of significant departures in their receivers room this offseason. Not only did Olamide Zaccheaus leave for the Atlanta Falcons in free agency, but Chicago also traded DJ Moore to the Buffalo Bills.

Those departures would have left the Bears with a young and inexperienced wide receivers room that is headlined by Rome Odunze and Luther Burden.

Now, the Bears have a veteran wideout in the mix who offers no shortage of versatility when it comes to all the ways head coach Ben Johnson can utilize him in the offense.

Raymond is also an elite special teams contributor and will provide a significant boost in the return game.

While that's all great news for the Bears, Raymond's arrival is not good news for three players in particular. Here's who could be impacted the most with the signing.

WR Jahdae Walker

Chicago Bears wide receiver Jahdae Walker reacts after scoring a touchdown against the Detroit Lions. — Chicago Bears wide receiver Jahdae Walker. | David Banks-Imagn Images

A 2025 undrafted free-agent signing out of Texas A&M, Walker had a quiet rookie campaign, but he did show some flashes over the final three regular season contests.

In that span, Walker posted six catches for 87 yards and two scores before not appearing in the postseason. His biggest catch came in Week 16 against the Green Bay Packers that sent the contest to overtime.

Walker could have seized the No. 3 wide receiver role had the Bears not made a more significant move to replace both Zaccheaus and Moore, but now his path isn't clear.

Barring Walker really showing out and surpassing Raymond on the depth chart, which doesn't feel likely to happen, he'll be relegated to WR4 duties, at best.

CB Josh Blackwell

Chicago Bears cornerback Josh Blackwell reacts after a missed field goal by the New Orleans Saints. — Chicago Bears cornerback Josh Blackwell. | David Banks-Imagn Images

With Devin Duvernay departing in free agency, Blackwell stood as the favorite to play a significant role in the return game.

Blackwell contributed on 18 kickoffs last season and recorded a solid 25.3-yard return average. Blackwell also returned punts in 2024, and lest we forget his heroic punt return touchdown on a trick play versus the Packers.

The problem for Blackwell now is that he's going to be competing with an elite return specialist in Raymond, who has primarily handled kick returns but can also field punts.

If the Bears decide to give Raymond both duties like they did with Duvernay in 2025, Blackwell's role will decrease even more.

WRs JP Richardson and Maurice Alexander

Chicago Bears wide receiver JP Richardson looks to pass the ball during training camp at Halas Hall. — Chicago Bears wide receiver JP Richardson. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Richardson and Alexander both signed futures deals with the Bears earlier this offseason, and while that meant they were already facing an uphill climb to make the roster, that climb became significantly steeper with the Raymond signing, which pushed both players down a spot on the offseason depth chart.

As things stand now, the Bears have six wide receivers on their roster, but we would expect the team to add more, and at least two, one of which could come at some point in the 2026 draft.

The Bears carried six wideouts on their initial 53-man roster in 2025, so we'd assume that will be the case again.

That means Richardson and Alexander will be in even bigger trouble if the Bears add so much as one more receiver.