Ben Johnson "stood on the table" and wanted Kalif Raymond in Chicago
Ben Johnson shares his thought on why he was excited to reunite with Kalif Raymond.
After trading away DJ Moore to the Buffalo Bills and letting Devin Duvernay walk in free agency after one year, the Bears needed some versatility, someone to return punts and kickoffs, but also add a veteran presence to a predominantly young receivers room. Saying quiet in free agency compared to most years, the Bears signed wide receiver and special teams returner, Kalif Raymond, who spent the last five years with the Detroit Lions and four years in the Ben Johnson offense, and is someone who has earned the respect and trust of Johnson and receivers coach Antwaan Randle El. So much so that when Raymond hit free agency this offseason, Johnson and Randle El "stood on the table" and wanted to bring Raymond to Chicago and reunite.
"Anytime you have a touchpoint with a player, whether it's through free agency or the draft, it helps (that) you know what you're going to get," Johnson said. "Anytime one of our coaches or personnel guys has a chance to be with another player, you feel pretty good. Absolutely, I stood on the table for Kalif.
So did Randle El, so did J. T. Barrett.
We know what he's going to bring to the table. He's a phenomenal teammate. It starts there.