Ben Johnson benched Zavion Thomas after 15-yard penalty

Published November 9, 2026 11:36 AM Bears rookie wide receiver Zavion Thomas hasn’t had a lot of production so far this season, and he may have even less after head coach Ben Johnson benched him during Sunday night’s win over the Buccaneers.In the second quarter, with the Bears at the Buccaneers’ 6-yard line, Thomas got into a shoving match with Buccaneers cornerback Jacob Parrish and was flagged for unnecessary roughness, moving the Bears back to the 21-yard line. On the next play, Caleb Williams threw an interception, on a play that wouldn’t have been called if the Bears were still at the 6, ending a promising drive. Johnson was not happy.Asked after the game whether he said anything to Thomas, Johnson answered, “Yeah, I don’t know that he played on offense after that.”Johnson didn’t need to say any more than to tell Thomas he wouldn’t be going back into the game on offense. (Thomas did keep playing on kickoff returns.) Thomas is a speedy receiver and a talented playmaker, but Johnson wants him to know that he’s not good enough to get away with committing 15-yard penalties.