Jaylon Johnson drops fascinating Luther Burden III comparison that highlights the explosive impact he can bring to Chicago’s offense
The Chicago Bears are ready to unleash second-year wide receiver Luther Burden III after trading away DJ Moore and those in the building have a clear idea what kind of potential he will bring to the offense in 2026.
The Chicago Bears are ready to unleash wide receiver Luther Burden III at the rest of the league during the 2026 season and those inside the building are aware of the potential Burden has in this offense.
After trading veteran wide receiver DJ Moore to the Buffalo Bills, a large chuck of Chicago’s offense opened up and the team is ready to pile that workload onto the plate of their second-year weapon.
“He is exactly what we thought we were getting out of the draft last year,” Bears head coach Ben Johnson said of Burden. “This guy is a dynamic play-maker, he’s got some of the best run after the catch in the game right now, I really believe that. We got to continue to get the ball in his hands as often as we possibly can.”
Burden gave the league a small taste of what he can do with his limited opportunities. His teammates in the building got to see it firsthand on a daily basis.
Bears CB Jaylon Johnson had a scary comparison for Luther Burden III going into Year 2
Bears standout cornerback Jaylon Johnson joined Chris Long on the Green Light podcast on Thursday and was asked for a comparison to describe Burden’s game. His answer speaks to the kind of explosive impact Burden can bring to this offense with a larger role.
“I’m going to say as far as movements, in routes and after, I would probably say Odell [Beckham Jr.],” Johnson explained. “People think of Odell for one-handed catches, but I feel like before he hurt his knee, I would say he was really explosive after the catch – put his foot in the ground, kind of stop and start guy. I think that’s definitely Luther’s game being able to start and stop.
“That’s a big big part of his game and something that you see, especially when you get the ball in his hands. I think that’s something people don’t really remember with Odell, like he’ll catch a slant and he’ll start and stop and get the other way and being able to go 40 [yards]. For me, that’s what I think about as far as that explosiveness after the catch.”
Luther Burden III is going to be an exciting player if he can reach similar heights as OBJ
That’s quite a high comparison. In his prime, Beckham was easily the most dangerous and explosive wide receiver in the league. The difference with OBJ vs. LB3 is that Beckham averaged 10.8 targets per game as a rookie leading the NFL with 108.8 yards per game. Meanwhile, Burden didn’t have a single game with double-digit targets in 2025.
Yet, when the ball was in his hands, you saw Burden make some special plays. Burden led the team with 14 missed tackles and had 7.2 yards after the catch per reception. His 2.34 yards per route run easily led all Bears pass catchers and ranked seventh among WRs with 50+ targets during the regular season and playoffs.
Beckham had 130+ targets in each of his first three seasons with the Giants totaling 1,300+ yards and 10+ touchdowns in each of those seasons. If Burden can have that kind of comparison skill-wise, the Bears have an exciting player in their hands once they start feeding him the ball more.
Burden should easily crack 1,000+ yards in 2026 as he steps into a featured role in this offense. He will really scare the league once he gets more involved and continues flashing more OBJ-like traits.
