In three of the last four games going into Week 9, Chicago Bears wide receiver Zavion Thomas had seen an uptick in offensive snaps.

Thomas went from seeing nine or fewer over snaps over the first four games to playing 10 or more in three of the last four games, and he was on pace to see that many yet again or more in Week 9 after playing five early in the contest.

Unfortunately, the rookie made a bad mistake that cost him more playing time. Thomas was called for an unnecessary roughness penalty in the second quarter after a minor post-play dust-up between the rookie and a Tampa Bay Buccaneers defender.

Did Bears punish Zavion Thomas?

After that, we didn't see Thomas on offense again, which made us wonder if he was being punished or if that was simply part of the game plan. After the game, head coach Ben Johnson basically confirmed Thomas' benching on offense.

"Did you say anything to him coming off the sideline after that possession ends?" ESPN's Courtney Cronin asked of Thomas.

"Yeah, I don't know that he played on offense after that," Johnson said.

Good on Johnson for teaching his young player a lesson. That is how you avoid things like that happening on a consistent basis.

The penalty came in the second quarter and on a first-down play when the Bears were on the Bucs' eight-yard line.

That penalty set Chicago back 15 yards to the 21 after D'Andre Swift's two-yard gain on the play. Caleb Williams tossed a pick on the very next snap and one has to wonder if that would've happened if the Bears were closer to the end zone.

In his five offensive snaps, Thomas was targeted twice and reeled in one catch for 13 yards.

Thomas wasn't totally benched

It wasn't a full benching because Thomas continued in his return role, where he gained 88 yards on three attempts, good enough for a strong kick return average of 29.3 yards per tote.

Thomas had a long return of 40 yards, and he nearly had a 91-yard touchdown return but it was called back because of a penalty by linebacker D'Marco Jackson.

Thomas has come close to breaking one on a few occasions this season and it feels like a matter of when, not if, he finds pay dirt.

Potential for more snaps in Week 11

Thomas could see a sizeable role in Week 11 if Luther Burden is ruled out.

Burden suffered a concussion on Sunday that forced his early exit from the game, and while chances are he'll be cleared by before the next game because the Bears have a bye in Week 10, that's not guaranteed.

If Burden sits, Thomas would be in line for more work, as would Jahdae Walker.

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