Kalif Raymond doesn't remember the last time he was his team's leading receiver. When he thinks about stats, the only numbers that stick out are his two career 100-yard receiving games — a 118-yard performance Sept. 27, 2020, when he played for the Titans and a 115-yard game Oct. 24, 2021, with Detroit.
Needless to say, the 11-year veteran's team-high eight catches for 84 yards last Sunday against the Panthers won't linger in his mind for long. What he will remember from his Bears debut, however, is the eight touchdowns and 59 points that coach Ben Johnson's high-powered offense produced in the Week 1 victory.
"I don't really look at that stuff," Raymond said of his personal stats. "It's kind of like, 'we won,' and that's all I'm thinking about. Plus, the 100-yard is the marker for any receiver,"
"But it's really just like, 'we won the game.'"
Beyond the receptions and yards he racked up, another important aspect of Raymond's performance was his role as a safety valve for quarterback Caleb Williams.
Of Raymond's eight receptions, four came on third down, helping sustain three separate touchdown drives. The receiver's reliability stems from his mindset of always being ready, whether the play is designed for him or not.
"I've been in very explosive offenses the last five years, and you just want to make sure when your number is called, you make the play," Raymond said. "It doesn't matter if it's called one time or eight times. You just want to make sure you make the play when it's called. Because that feeling when your number is called, and there's 10 other guys and all of them can ball, you've gotta make that play. So just making the play, that's the most important thing."
With a group of pass catchers including receivers Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III as well as tight ends Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet, it didn't seem likely that Raymond would be the Bears' leading receiver in Week 1. But the veteran's performance was no shock to his teammates, who witnessed firsthand the highly productive training camp Raymond put together.
"I mean, I wouldn't doubt it, 100%," Odunze said when asked if he expected Raymond to lead the Bears in receiving against the Panthers. "The camp that he had, all that he's put in over the offseason, it's been pretty impressive. So, he's there to make a play whenever it happens. He had a couple wild ones, scramble plays where he made catches."
Raymond signed with the Bears in March after spending the past five seasons in Detroit, four of which aligned with Johnson's time with the Lions. The pair's familiarity with each other played a role in Raymond's signing – Johnson said he "stood on the table for Kalif," as did receivers coach Antwaan Randle-El and quarterbacks coach J.T. Barrett, who also worked with the veteran wideout in Detroit.
Johnson described Raymond as someone who has "flown under the radar" as a professional, noting how the receiver has fought to earn every roster spot he's had throughout his NFL career. Offensive lineman Jonah Jackson, who spent three seasons with Raymond in Detroit, has seen the vet's experience and leadership pay dividends with a young, talented group of receivers.
"It was great to see a guy like that come here to a wide receiver room that already has crazy components to it, and a guy like him to add to it," Jackson said. "A great leader — vocally, physically, mentally, everything all around. I think he elevated the room in Detroit. Obviously, (Lions receiver Amon-Ra) St. Brown and those guys have great work ethics, but I think he brought them along, made them NFL-ready, and I think he's gonna do the same here."
While Raymond was lauded throughout the summer for his veteran leadership and skill set as a return specialist, he was also a consistent target for Williams, who has described him as "QB friendly" and "a special player."
Raymond entered his first season with the Bears understanding the complexity of Johnson's offense and all its wrinkles, but Williams' ability to freestyle on a broken play or make something out of what originally appears to be nothing has opened new doors for the receiver.
He pointed to a third-and-11 play on the Bears' last drive of the first half that wasn't intended for Raymond. Yet after Williams took the snap and dropped back, he rolled left before throwing a missile across his body to Raymond, who dove near the left sideline to haul in the pass for a 28-yard pickup.
"I technically did not run the route how I was supposed to run there," Raymond said. "But Caleb is so intuitive. The line is intuitive. So even though it's third-and-11, Caleb can make a play off something that wasn't designed to be how it was."
While Raymond played 60% of the offensive snaps last Sunday, the third-most by any pass catcher, he knows how quickly production can change week to week. With Johnson's creativity and the talent on the Bears offense, any player can break out in any given game, whether by design or by chance.
It's that versatility, though, that excites Raymond about the Bears offense's trajectory moving forward.
"I think this offense is designed to maximize what everybody does best," Raymond said. "And I think this offense has the capability of the guys in the room that it doesn't have to be pretty. It doesn't have to be a perfect call, a perfect defense, a perfect everything. I think this offense has the players and the detail to have a play break and still be successful.
"And I think that's what makes the offense have such a high ceiling."
