Early Signs Point to Major Role for Rookie Zavion Thomas With Chicago Bears

Chicago Bears rookie wide receiver Zavion Thomas has been one of the team's biggest standouts this offseason and he could earn a big role right away.

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

Out of all of the Chicago Bears' rookies, third-round pick Zavion Thomas might be having the best offseason and the early signs are pointing toward the young wideout having a big role.

Thomas has regularly shined during practices by routinely making highlight plays. As a result, he has been a regular in our takeaways and winners and losers articles, which are based on observations from beat writers on the ground at those sessions.

The thing that stands out the most about Thomas is his blazing 4.28 speed, but beat writers have also remarked about just how polished Thomas looks as a pass-catcher in general.

"(Thomas has) better hands, (a) lot more natural hands than I assumed he had. He's a more polished receiver than I think most people gave him credit for coming out of the draft as a returner," Herb Howard of The Bigs wrote.

Bears head coach Ben Johnson has no doubt Thomas can make a big impact this coming season, but the rookie still has to nail down the specifics of the offense, a process that will continue in training camp next month.

"He's got a long highlight reel in terms of showcasing that speed in the SEC, and he tends to make a play almost every single day right now that says, OK, if we can harness all this energy and make sure that we can trust him and that 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," he said. "But that's what we're trying to harness right now."

Zavion Thomas' path to a big role

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

Thomas is a lock to make the roster, but the higher he lands on the depth chart behind Rome Odunze and Luther Burden, the better chance he has for a significant role.

Kalif Raymond figures to be the favorite for the WR3 role, so that means the rookie will be relegated to WR4, at best, which on the surface doesn't lend to the idea that he could have a big role.

However, Thomas' skill set offers up all sorts of possibilities for how to use him. The Bears can deploy Thomas as a traditional receiver, especially out of the slot, or they can utilize him in unconventional ways as a gadget guy, including out of the backfield, for example.

All of that and we haven't even mentioned how Thomas can contribute as a returner.

Don't be fooled by Thomas' spot on the wide receiver depth chart, wherever that might be. If he shows the kind of play-making ability he has in practice when games roll around, the Bears are going to find ways to get him involved.