Zavion Thomas emerges as biggest winner from Chicago Bears mandatory minicamp originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The Chicago Bearsconcluded mandatory minicamp on Thursday, and the three-day period marks the final time Ben Johnson’s group will practice as a team until training camp kicks off in late July.
Obviously, since the Bears didn’t practice in pads, we have to take what we saw in mandatory minicamp with a grain of salt.
However, there were still some standout performances from this week, especially from a certain rookie wide receiver.
Zavion Thomas is the biggest winner of Bears mandatory minicamp
Zavion Thomas was a third-round pick in April’s draft, and some questioned Chicago’s decision to select the LSU product on Day 2 when he likely would’ve been available on Day 3.
However, Thomas turned heads during the Bears’ offseason activities this summer, and even caught the attention of his head coach, a veteran in his position room, and his quarterback.
While speaking to the media on Wednesday, Ben Johnson praised Thomas for his speed and energy, and said the rookie playmaker could emerge as a big weapon on Chicago’s offense this year.
“He tends to make a play almost every single day right now,” Johnson said of Thomas. “If we can harness all this energy and trust him to align where he needs to and run the route the way we need him to, He could be a big weapon for us this year.”
That speed Johnson was talking about was on full display in practice this week, as the Bears’ social media team posted a clip of Thomas catching a screen from quarterback Tyson Bagent in team period and taking it the house untouched.
Ka-chow ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/SF9OODUTP4
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) June 9, 2026
Thomas’ work ethic has also stood out, as veteran receiver Kalif Raymond has taken the speedy rookie under his wing and has been working with him after practice.
“Me and Zavion spent 30-40 minutes after practice catching jugs,” Raymond said. “We got guys with work ethic and will, and those are the guys you want next to you.”
Thomas has also caught the attention of Caleb Williams, who said the 22-year-old is special with the ball in his hands.
“When he’s out there making plays, when he has the ball in his hands, he’s pretty special,” Williams said of Thomas. “I’m really excited. If he can get the offense down, he’ll be really special for years on out.”
Overall, Thomas is still a raw talent who will take some time to develop, but based on his performance at mandatory minicamp, he could be ahead of schedule and ready to be a dynamic threat for the Bears in 2026. Due to his speed and explosiveness, Thomas should easily find a role on special teams, but expect Chicago to use him as a gadget player on offense as well. And if he continues to develop his game, the sky is the limit for Thomas, and the Bears would have yet another electric talent on their hands.
