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Bear Digest

Zavion Thomas and Kalif Raymond Need to Cover a Huge Bears Gamble

Last year's kick return rule change made touchbacks less of an option and now the Bears need to find someone to take advantage after a million-dollar change.
Gene Chamberlain|
Kalif Raymond is fine as a punt returner, although his averaged nosedived last year, but is not really a kick returner.
Kalif Raymond is fine as a punt returner, although his averaged nosedived last year, but is not really a kick returner. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

One of the biggest Bears impacts this year could involve their wide receivers, and it has nothing to do with losing DJ Moore in the trade with Buffalo.

It doesn't even have something to do with their ability to catch passes or run after the catch. It involves the return game.

It's safe to wonder if they've done the right thing by letting Devin Duvernay leave for Arizona as a free agent. Their veteran return man last year finished 11th in kick return average and made a few of Caleb Williams' comeback wins possible with long returns late in games.

Duvernay didn't have the smashing Pro Bowl success he enjoyed early in his career but a 26.7-yard average on kickoffs is solid. He also was much better at 11.0 per punt return last year than Kalif Raymond was for Detroit. It was the best kick return average for Duvernay since the sixth-year return man's rookie year.

Yet, he left for only a paltry $1 million more than the Bears paid him. His cap hit last year in Chicago was $1.3 million and it's $2.3 million in Arizona.

A story by Pro Football Focus' Bradley Locker discussing the impact of the new kickoff rules implemented last year detailed how important a player like Duvernay was for kickoffs. There were far fewer touchbacks and it will continue to be this way.

In fact, Duvernay was one of six players who had at least 40 kick returns. That not oinly was a career high for Duvernay, but 12 more than he had any other year. More returns should mathematically tend to bring down an average but Duvernay's went up. Last year 10 teams had at least four returns of 40 yards, where in 2023 and 2024 there were only two combined, according to Locker.

Kick return options less desirable

So what have the Bears done at kick returner? At the moment, the top options appear to be rookie Zavion Thomas or veteran Raymond, who will be 32 this season. Either of these players could be good punt return options, although it must be pointed out Raymond had a colossal drop in his punt return average at age 31 last season in Detroit. He had been in double digits ever year for average since he came to Detroit in 2021 and had a career high of 13.8 in 2024. Last year his average plummeted to 7.5.

That's punt returns, though. He was never used as a consistent kick returner by Detroit, never had more than six kick returns in a season for the Lions and his career average at this is a mundane 21.6 yards. Punt returns were his strength.

While Thomas has great speed, he is a rookie coming into a league using different kick return rules.

"He's still young, it's still early," special teams coordinator Richard Hightower said during OTAs. "I mean, we'll see. But you've got a dynamic player that we like on special teams and we like on offense.

"This is a player that catches the ball, looks natural and he's been doing it his whole life and he's eager to be great."

Thomas had only one season with more than six kick returns and his strong 27.2-yard average was based largely on a second season at Mississippi State in 2023 when he averaged 33.7 yards on six kick returns. How he'll do with the new rules is only a guess.

The big advantage here is the Bears hope to have Thomas as a contributor and gadget type for their offense in a way they never had with Duvernay. Last season Duvernay had only two catches and five targets.

However, they could have had Duvernay on the roster instead of carrying a sixth wide receiver, like possibly Scotty Miller or one of the other veterans like Kaden Davis. The sixth wouldn't necessarily have had to be a contributor as a receiver.

Another option for them is Josh Blackwell. He averaged 25.4 yards for 18 returns last year which is below the league average of 25.9.

Either way, those late comebacks made look less possible when kick returns like they had by a former Pro Bowl kick reutrner are eliminated.

The Bears are going to be taking a special teams gamble whether it's Blackwell, Raymond, or even Thomas back on returns in 2026 after losing a bigger threat over a difference of $1 million.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.

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