Nothing about the explosive playmaking ability that new Bears receiver Kalif Raymond has displayed in practice this spring has surprised coach Ben Johnson.

The 5-9, 160-pounder demonstrated the same skills with the Lions when Johnson was Detroit's passing game coordinator (2021) and offensive coordinator (2022-24).

"I do have a history with Kalif," Johnson said. "You wouldn't know, looking at him right now, that he's 31 going on 32. He has got 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. That carries over with the routes he runs. It's been really good for our route runners to see because it's really what we want to see across the board. He's been exactly what we hoped for when we came into the building."

Raymond entered the NFL with the Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2016 from Holy Cross but did not blossom until he joined the Lions in 2021. In five seasons with Detroit, he caught 171 passes for 2,185 yards and eight touchdowns and averaged 11.3 yards on 132 punt returns with three TDs.

Raymond has stood out in offseason practices. In the first of three minicamp workouts Tuesday, he caught two key passes from Caleb Williams in a two-minute drill. The veteran receiver later made a one-handed snag in a 7-on-7 drill.

"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. "I mean, 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 running after the catch. He's very versatile and I think he's going to be a huge part of what we do."

Johnson's presence as coach played a key role in Raymond signing with the Bears.

"If you've seen the way Ben works, to be able to be near him, work for him, work under him, all that stuff, it's a blessing," Raymond said. "I was very excited and thankful that I had an opportunity to come play for him."

The Wright stuff

Johnson on Tuesday raved about right tackle Darnell Wright, a 2023 first-round pick who blossomed into a second-team All-Pro last season.

"His approach and professionalism is what stood out from the start of the springtime a year ago up until this point," Johnson said. "He just continues to get better. When you watch us on offense, we're certainly a little bit more right-handed than left-handed and that is with him in mind.

"He's one of those tackles that's a powerful player and can displace guys off the line of scrimmage. When you have that available, it's such a luxury that you really want to sync into it, and he's proven that he can do that and carry the load, if you will, a lot of times in the running game on his back. Very pleased with that."

Johnson lauded offensive line coach Dan Roushar and assistant line coach Kyle DeVan for their roles in Wright's development, stating that they "have done a phenomenal job just staying consistent and steady."

Growing and learning

Since he started calling plays with the Lions in 2022, Johnson feels that he has changed "fairly significantly."

"I'd like to think I'm better in situations than I've been in the past," said the Bears coach. "You continue to grow and you learn from your own mistakes …

"We have different guys this year than we had last year and certainly anywhere else I've been. The challenge is making sure that we're all coordinated and on the same page and putting them all in a spot to succeed. But I love the challenge of looking at Luther Burden and how we get him the ball and maximize what he does best, along with Rome [Odunze] and Colston [Loveland] and Cole [Kmet].

"We have this whole slew of weapons we're looking to maximize. I think that's the fun part. The plays don't matter so much to me; it's moreso, how do we get these guys the ball in space to do what they do so well?'"

No secret sauce

Johnson is not worried about opposing defensive coordinators stopping Williams because they saw him play a full season in Johnson's offense.

"He just needs to worry about executing the play at hand," Johnson said. "There's really no secret sauce in terms of being able to defend a guy like that. He's a unique individual and we're going to continue to hone in our core plays, our bread and butter plays. They might be a little bit different than what they've been in the past. When those plays aren't working, that's when his exotic self can come to life."