Bears rookie play-maker made his presence felt immediately in preseason finale with explosive play that Ben Johnson will love
Chicago Bears rookie WR Zavion Thomas showed off the 4.28 speed with electric touchdown against the Tennessee Titans in the preseason finale.
Zavion Thomas, welcome to the NFL. The Chicago Bears rookie made his NFL debut in the preseason finale against the Tennessee Titans on Saturday and it only took one play for him to show exactly why head coach Ben Johnson wanted him.
Thomas, on the first offensive play, absolutely smoked the Titans cornerback off the snap with a double-move and quarterback Tyson Bagent saw him get wide open. Thomas actually slowed up to make the catch and then was off to the races down the sideline for a 97-yard touchdown.
Thomas missed the first two preseason games due to a knee injury. He returned last week but was held out of the game against the Cincinnati Bengals. So, this was the first offensive snap we’ve seen out of Thomas and he made it count.
Zavion Thomas is going to be an electric player for Ben Johnson’s offense
Thomas was a controversial selection by the Bears in the third-round of the 2026 NFL Draft. Many thought he was a one-trick pony with his 4.28-speed and it was immediately clear Ben Johnson saw something more in this guy.
“We all have a vision for how this guy could really help us,” Johnson said earlier this offseason.
Thomas will do the majority of his damage as a rookie on special teams as a return man while sitting behind Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III, Kalif Raymond, and Jahdae Walker in the wide receiver pecking order. However, Johnson will surely find ways to scheme plays up for this guy from time to time to maximize his skillset, similar to how Johnson used Burden early in the 2025 season.
Friday’s first offensive play proved that speed is going to be a real threat in this offense and gives defenses another weapon to be terrified of in this offense. The best part for Chicago is that it’s not just vertical speed like we saw on display with that touchdown. Thomas as horizontal speed as well and versatility to line up anywhere.
That was nearly on display when the Ben Johnson attempted to call a jet sweep to Thomas toward the end of the first quarter. However, there was a bad exchange that led to a fumble. Bad play, but the design shows Ben Johnson will find any way to put the ball in Thomas’ hands.
When he’s on the field, you better take note and back up. The Titans didn’t and they learned the hard way. What a weapon this guy is going to be this upcoming season.
