The Chicago Bears have made several improvements to their roster over the past few months of the 2026 NFL offseason, but the analysts over at ESPN believe there is still one more veteran who should entice them before the new season.
ESPN’s Aaron Schatz recently examined the “biggest remaining holes” on each of the 32 teams’ rosters following the 2026 NFL draft and honed in on the slot receiver position as the most glaring issue for the Bears’ 90-man offseason roster amid spring workouts.
The Bears have Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III returning as their top two starting wide receivers for the 2026 NFL season, but they also shed three veterans — DJ Moore, Olamide Zaccheaus and Devin Duvernay — from their roster with minimal additions.
The only receivers the Bears added in the offseason were former Detroit Lions veteran Kalif Raymond (289 receiving yards in 2025) and third-round rookie Zavion Thomas.
To ensure their offense does not regress, Schatz argued the Bears could bring in former San Francisco 49ers and Washington Commanders All-Pro wide receiver Deebo Samuel as a free agent to serve as a new high-octane slot weapon in Ben Johnson’s offense.
“The Bears use a lot of two tight-end sets,” Schatz wrote. “However, they still were in 11 personnel 52% of the time last season, so they need to have a third starting receiver to go with Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III. Right now, that’s veteran Kalif Raymond, but Raymond is 31 and has had less than 300 yards in each of the past two seasons. The other alternative is third-round rookie Zavion Thomas. Deebo Samuel would be a really interesting free agent signing here.”
Deebo Samuel Will Likely Cost Too Much for Bears
There is little doubt that Johnson could make use of a versatile receiver like Samuel. He put up 5,519 yards and 27 touchdowns as a receiver and added another 1,218 yards and 21 touchdowns as a runner in his first seven seasons, proving most effective in the slot.
In 2025, Samuel also produced the second-best catch percentage (72.7%) of his career, finishing with 72 receptions for 727 yards and five touchdowns on 99 targets despite playing most of the season without starting quarterback Jayden Daniels under center.
Samuel’s potential usefulness is not the issue for the Bears, though. The real problem is how much money Samuel — who played out the final season of his three-year, $73.5 million extension in 2025 — will seek for his next NFL contract heading into 2026.
According to Spotrac, Samuel’s expected market value falls just north of $15 million. It might be a little generous to assume Samuel will sign for that much money, given that he is still available as teams are kicking off their spring workouts, but it is reasonable to think the former All-Pro could push for at least $10 million from his next team.
The Bears don’t have the money to afford Samuel, even at the lower-end price tag. They cleared about $10 million in additional cap space just before the 2026 draft, but they only have about $6.1 million in effective cap space when accounting for the money it will take for them to sign their seven draft picks. That’s not much to make a splash.
Bears Have Multiple Pass-Catcher Tight Ends to Use
Analysts might be working themselves into a bit of a tizzy about the Bears’ receiving situation for the 2026 season, but it is important to remember that they have multiple pass-catching tight ends who figure to get heavy usage in the passing game in 2026.
While Raymond and Thomas should see snaps in the slot throughout 2026, the Bears are also likely to deploy former top-10 pick Colston Loveland at various other positions outside of his in-line tight end role. He led the Bears in receptions (58) and receiving yards (713) and tied for the most receiving touchdowns (six) as a rookie. He also saw at least 10 targets in Chicago’s final four games, including both of their playoff matchups.
Beyond Loveland, the Bears also have veteran tight end Cole Kmet and his 2,939 career receiving yards. Loveland’s emergence had pushed Kmet into the No. 2 tight end role by the end of 2025, but the 27-year-old had hauled in 170 receptions for 1,737 yards and 17 touchdowns in the three seasons prior, something that Johnson used throughout 2025.
With new third-round rookie Sam Roush in the mix as more of a traditional/blocking tight end, the Bears have the flexibility to move around either Loveland or Kmet as it suits their offense. Loveland especially seemed to thrive when operating in the slot as a rookie, dropping just one pass and recording an average depth of target of 9.5 yards.
The Bears will still need contributions from Raymond, Thomas and returning UDFA standout Jahdae Walker at the receiver position, but the presences of Loveland and Kmet make the Bears’ “biggest roster hole” less of a problem than analysts presume.
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