The Chicago Bears may see the NFL take punitive action against one of their wide receivers in the upcoming week after beating the Atlanta Falcons in Week 6.

The Bears held on for a 31-23 victory over the Falcons on Sunday after benching their starters early in the fourth quarter and nearly allowing a 31-7 lead to slip away.

At the start of the near-collapse, though, Bears wide receiver Jahdae Walker got a little too excited about his team’s stop on well-covered punt play and headbutted Falcons wide receiver Chris Blair in the facemask, resulting in his ejection.

Officials also flagged Walker for roughing the kicker early in the third quarter after he made late contact with Falcons punter Jake Bailey, giving Atlanta fresh downs.

As a result, expectations are that Walker will receive some form of punishment — perhaps even multiple fines — from the league for his illegal actions in Sunday’s win.

“Nothing excuses the roughing-the-punter call on Jahdae Walker and then the headbutt he delivered that drew a penalty and an ejection,” The Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs wrote Monday, October 19. I’d expect Walker to be fined, and if Ben Johnson is going to ice D’Andre Swift in a ballgame because of a reckless fumble — as he did in Week 4 — will he cut into Walker’s playing time?

Ben Johnson Defends Jahdae Walker as ‘Passionate’

Biggs is not wrong to wonder whether the Bears could take internal action against Walker (i.e., cutting into his snaps) in the short week as they turn around to face the New England Patriots on Thursday Night Football in Week 7.

Walker has been an impactful player on special teams in 2026 for the Bears and caught a 1-yard touchdown on his first offensive target of the season in Week 1’s rout of the Carolina Panthers, but he is not untouchable in terms of his snaps — especially if the Bears are trying to establish better discipline.

Bears head coach Ben Johnson may already feel Walker has learned from his mistake, though.

“He’s a passionate player,” Johnson said Monday during his weekly radio call with ESPN 1000 Chicago. “We love that about him. He’ll learn from that and he felt terrible, just seeing the look in his eye after the game.

“So he’ll learn from it. He’ll grow. And we’re happy he’s one of us, man. He brings a lot of juice and energy every single game. And so we love him.”

Jahdae Walker Has Stood Out in 2026 in Minimal Role

Walker — a 2025 undrafted rookie — has been a young riser over the past 14 months who has rarely gotten his due on a Chicago roster that is chock-full of rising stars.

After winning a roster spot as a UDFA, Walker alternated between being a healthy scratch and holding a minor special teams role over the first 15 games of his rookie season until injuries prompted the Bears to include him on offense.

Walker then made the most of his offensive snaps in the final three games of the 2025 regular season, catching six of his 10 targets for 87 yards and two touchdowns — including an essential score in Week 16’s overtime win over Green Bay.

The late-season production did not lead to a regular role on offense for Walker in 2026. If anything, though, he returned for his sophomore season in the NFL with more energy, frequently bringing the pain as a gunner on special teams.

While his hot-headed moment against the Falcons adds a blemish to his resume, the Bears won’t use it as an opportunity to re-evaluate Walker’s place on the roster.