‘I’m buying Luther Burden stock’ — Bears HC Ben Johnson sends a loud message about Chicago’s second-year breakout weapon
Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson is very impressed with what he’s seen out of wide receiver Luther Burden III after the first day or organized team activities going into his second season with the team.
The Chicago Bears had to make a difficult decision this offseason when the team decided to trade away veteran wide receiver DJ Moore, despite the amount of trust the staff had in Moore’s dependability and play-making ability.
Part of what makes that decision easier to swallow is what the Bears saw out of wide receiver Luther Burden III down the stretch during the 2025 season.
Going into Year 2, Burden is primed to become a breakout star for this offense and head coach Ben Johnson isn’t hiding any feelings anymore about his second-year weapon after what he saw from the first day of OTAs.
Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson lobs high praise for Luther Burden III during OTAs
“I’m buying Luther Burden stock right now,” Johnson told reporters Thursday at Halas Hall. “Just how he’s approached this offseason, it’s been electric. He showed up yesterday, he had numerous explosive plays. I loved how, in phase two, he was finishing every single rep that he took. That really translated over to [Wednesday’s practice] as well.”
That response is a major 180 from how Johnson felt about Burden this time last year. After rookie minicamp, Burden suffered a brief soft tissue injury that forced him to miss time with the team in the spring before having to play catch up during training camp. Burden eventually earned trust from the coaching staff to become a dynamic weapon as a rookie and now he’s taking the steps to elevate his game even further.
“He’s in a really good spot,” Johnson added. “He’s still developing and growing his route tree. Coach [Antwaan Randle El] and Isaiah Ford, they’ve done a phenomenal job with him just working to develop those things – speed cuts, to hard breaks, releases, things of that nature. He’s been extremely coachable. I’m really happy with him.”
Sky is the limit for what Luther Burden III can achieve with the Bears
Despite having a slow start to his rookie season, Burden still finished the year as one of the most efficient wide receivers in the entire league. On 60 targets, Burden totaled 47 receptions for 652 yards and two touchdowns with 27 first downs. His yards per route run was even more impressive.
“When we drafted him, we saw an explosive athlete who was dangerous with the ball in his hands,” Johnson explained. “The question was, how can we get it into his hands. The easy thing to do are screens or short throws. But, I think there’s a lot more to his game that we’ve worked to unlock and he’s been really receptive to how we can get that done. He ran a route yesterday, that was the first time he ran that route, and he ran it as well as I’ve been around. So, things like that really get you excited as a coach.”
With Moore out of the picture in Chicago, the run way is wide open for Burden to take over that WR1 role in this offense playing alongside Rome Odunze, who also has the potential to be a top receiving threat in this offense.
Everyone can see the breakout on the way for this guy and Johnson’s words at OTAs only adds more fuel to the fire. The Bears have a special player on their hands ready to take the league by storm in Year 2.