Bears coordinator sounds off on the different strengths shown by the two returners Ben Johnson brought to Chicago this offseason
The Chicago Bears have two exciting options to return kicks this upcoming season in veteran Kalif Raymond and rookie Zavion Thomas, special teams coach Richard Hightower sounded off on what each player can offer.
Being a starting returner for the Chicago Bears carries a lot more weight compared to other franchises given the history and success of Hall of Fame returner Devin Hester. Living up to that level is a high bar, but the Bears have two exciting options going into the 2026 season.
The first option is veteran Kalif Raymond, who joined the Bears on a one-year deal after spending five years with the Detroit Lions. Raymond has history with head coach Ben Johnson and wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle El while bringing a much-needed veteran presence to the building.
The second option is third-round rookie Zavion Thomas. The Bears, by consensus rankings, took a reach on Thomas in the draft and felt his 4.28 speed was too good to pass up adding to the roster.
Speaking with the media for the first time since the season ended, special teams coordinator Richard Hightower broke down his two new returners and what they can each bring to the table.
Kalif Raymond brings the ultimate pro’s pro mentality to the Chicago Bears
After watching Raymond from afar in Detroit, Hightower understood the level of professionalism Raymond plays with and seeing it up-close confirmed everything he knew about him.
“Been really excited to see him work in the building,” Hightower said of Raymond. “Watching from afar and then seeing him up-close, you can see why he’s had the success that he’s had. That’s what Zavion needs to watch as a young kid. Watch what Kalif does.”
With the Lions, Raymond earned two different second-team All Pro honors as a return man totaling 1,485 yards and three touchdowns on punt returns with 252 yards on kick returns in five seasons. Hightower went into more detail on Raymond’s strengths that have allowed him to be so successful as a returner.
“Just his ability to make the first man miss,” Hightower explained. “That is just, it jumps off the tape. Even when we would play him twice a year, those weren’t weeks when we slept well. We know we had a good challenge on our hands but we also looked forward to that challenge every week. I will say that first-step quickness that he has is unbelievable and just his aggressiveness. He’s an aggressive returner and he wants to return the ball, he wants the ball in his hands.”
Zavion Thomas is already showing he can offer more than just his speed
As for Thomas, Hightower first pointed out the 4.28 speed that has been highly discussed since the Bears reached in the draft to bring him in. It’s a rare trait that he can weaponize both vertically and horizontally. But, he brings more to the table than just his speed.
“I like his speed on tape and I like his natural instincts,” Hightower said of Thomas. “I like his ability to catch the ball in traffic and his fearlessness. What he needs to do is just keep getting better. He’s still young, it’s still early, and we’ll see. But, you 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, he’s been doing it his whole life and he’s eager to be great. One of his first questions he asked me was ‘why coach, do most rookies not succeed in the NFL? What holds people back?’ That told me right there about his mindset.”
Having that kind of mindset and skillset as a rookie gives the Bears an exciting player to develop. Having a pro like Raymond alongside side Thomas is just icing on the cake.
While both players are in theory vying for the same role, there’s nothing holding the Bears back from getting both players involved in 2026 in some capacity, And team’s shouldn’t even think about overlooking either guy as a real threat.