Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson knew exactly what his team was getting when they signed veteran wide receiver Kalif Raymond, who played four years under Johnson with the Detroit Lions.
Following the departures of veteran wideouts DJ Moore, Olamide Zaccheaus and Devin Duvernay, Raymond brings experience and leadership to a relatively young receiving corp and offense. Raymond will serve as that third receiver while also bringing special teams value as a dynamic punt returner. And, so far, Raymond has been exactly as advertised.
“You wouldn’t know looking at him right now that he’s 31, going on 32,” Johnson said. “He has this vertical push to his game where he comes raging off the football, and if you’re a DB you can’t help but back up and that carries over with all the routes that he runs. I think it’s been really good for our young route runners to see because it’s really what we want to see across the board. So, he’s been exactly what we hoped for when he came into the building.”
While Raymond has some mileage on him, Johnson said the wideout hasn’t really lost a step since the last time he worked with him two years ago in Detroit, and he has the potential to be a versatile weapon in this offense with his speed and playmaking ability.
“It’s as good as I’ve seen him in the spring, based on my time with him over the last five years,” Johnson said. “He’s got fresh legs, he’s hungry, he’s highly motivated right now. There’s a lot that he can do in the offensive game. He’s not a gadget guy, but he’s unique in his ability to have enough speed to take it over the top, make defenses hurt that way, but also inside the numbers, outside the numbers, he’s got elite quickness. You get the ball in his hands, he’s excellent in run after catch. So he’s very, very versatile and I think he’s going to be a huge part of what we do.”
As we’ve seen in just two years, Johnson has his hand in the construction of this roster, particularly on offense. There’s a reason why Johnson wanted to bring Raymond to Chicago. And, more importantly, Raymond knew why he chose to leave the Lions for the Bears.
While Chicago has some young playmakers in receivers Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III and rookie Zavion Thomas, as well as tight end Colston Loveland, Raymond will no doubt factor into what Johnson employs on offense.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Ben Johnson explains why the Bears signed Kalif Raymond
Reporting by Alyssa Barbieri, Bears Wire / Bears Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Alyssa Barbieri, Bears Wire | USA TODAY Network
