Chicago Bears’ Ben Johnson eyeing another speedy receiver before draft

As Ben Johnson steps into his new role as Chicago Bears head coach, one of his first orders of business will be fixing the team’s passing attack. He already has his most important building block in place with quarterback Caleb Williams.

However, Johnson is going to want to stock his offense with a bevvy of talented receivers to catch the ball. The Bears already have strong options such as DJ Moore and Rome Odunze, alongside tight end Cole Kmet. With four picks inside the top 75 of the 2025 NFL Draft, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Chicago add another pass catcher to the mix.

They’ve been doing their due diligence on potential options, bringing in Washington State’s Kyle Williams for a visit. However, the Bears didn’t stop there. Chicago had a pre-draft meeting with Ole Miss star Tre Harris, via Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 Houston. Harris is also meeting with the Houston Texans and Washington Commanders.

Ole Miss WR Tre Harris had a top-30 visit with the #Bears yesterday, source said. He has the #Texans and #Commanders up next.

Buzz building for the physical receiver—expect him to come off the board in Day 2 of the Draft. pic.twitter.com/fD8zihd1SP

— Arye Pulli (@AryePulliNFL) April 11, 2025

What Tre Harris offers Chicago Bears 

Harris spent three years at Louisiana Tech before spending his final two collegiate seasons with Ole Miss, appearing in 51 total games. He caught 220 total passes for 3,532 yards and 29 touchdowns.

Rather than a breakout senior season leading to an NFL Draft surge, Harris had a pretty consistent college career. While he broke 1,000 yards for the first time in 2024, he had at least 900 his final three years. Furthermore, Harris had at least seven touchdown receptions in all of those seasons. He was named a Second-team All-American and Third-team All-SEC in his final year with Ole Miss.

Then, Harris put on a show at the NFL scouting combine, running a 4.5 40-yard dash. That speed has intrigued plenty of teams, including the Bears. Furthermore, Harris received a comparison to current Indianapolis Colts wideout Alec Pierce from Lance Zierlein of NFL.com.

“Size/speed wideout who returned to school in 2024 and improved his game heading into this year’s draft,” Zierlein wrote. “He’s primarily a first- and third-level target, mixing a barrage of hitches and slants with go routes and posts. He’s fast enough to win over the top and talented with the ball in his hands to stretch short throws into longer yardage.”

“His route-running and contested-catch success both took an upturn but they still need work at the pro level. Of greater concern might be a second consecutive season of time missed due to injury,” Zierlein concluded. “Harris might be capable of expanding his route tree a bit, but he looks locked in as an “X” receiver with big-game potential and a future home as a WR2.”

At 6-foot-2 with 4.5 wheels, Harris would give Johnson an intriguing weapon to work with. Simply getting him the ball in space has big play potential written over it. With Moore and Odunze commanding most of the secondary’s attention, Harris would have an opportunity to carve out a strong role in Chicago’s offense.

Bears in need of another receiver 

The Bears’ Keenan Allen experiment didn’t pan out as they hoped. While he led the team with seven receiving touchdowns, he was held to just 70 receptions and 744 yards. With little buzz about a reunion, it’s not a surprise that Chicago is looking for extra receiving help in the draft.

They have made some additions in free agency, most notably Olamide Zaccheaus. He spent the 2024 campaign with the Washington Commanders, catching a career-high 45 passes for 506 yards and three touchdowns. As it stands, he is in the driver’s seat for the WR3 role behind Moore and Odunze.

Furthermore, the team signed a pair of veterans in Devin Duvernay and Myles Boykin. However, Duvernay is mostly a special teams player at this stage of his career, and Boykin was out of the league in 2024. Former fourth-rounder Tyler Scott could make a difference, but he has just 18 catches for 173 scoreless yards though his first two years in the league.

From hiring Johnson to their offseason moves, the Bears have done everything in their power to make Williams feel more confident in the offense. Adding a player like Harris to the mix would give Williams another key weapon to throw to and bring Chicago a much more dynamic passing attack.