The Chicago Bears are relying more on their rookies as the season goes on. With DJ Moore and Rome Odunze either in a slump or injury-riddled, names like tight end Colston Loveland, running back Kyle Monangai, and wide receiver Luther Burden III have earned expanded roles lately.
While Loveland has become so integrated into the offense that he is challenging Moore for No. 2 on the team in receiving yards and Monangai is taking touches away from D'Andre Swift, Burden had a chance to show the Bears he can be a big part of this attack.
With Odunze out for Week 15 against Myles Garrett and a ferocious Cleveland Browns defense. Burden recorded three big first-half catches for 59 yards, putting members of a very good secondary on notice by juking them out of their shoes on his way to a few big plays.
Burden is starting to show that he has adjusted to the speed of the professional game. As the calendar flips to January and the Bears try to come up with ways to string wins together against NFC playoff opponents, Burden showing the amount of juice he has is a particularly encouraging development.
Luther Burden III emerging as Bears' secret playoff weapon in Week 15
Many outside observers wondered how Burden would get on the field, as his style of play is similar to Moore's. With Moore in the middle of a very unimpressive season and Odunze on the mend, Burden has a golden chance to prove that he can be trusted with essential playoff targets.
Burden has always been a top-shelf athlete who can make people miss with the ball in his hands and show off great speed. However, concerns about a minimal route tree made some wonder about how high his ceiling would be in a professional offense.
Ben Johnson clearly has started to trust Burden, and Caleb Williams is developing chemistry with his fellow young gun. In a Chicago offense that thrives on distributing the ball to multiple players, Burden is slowly but surely working his way into that rotation.
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While any hypothetical Chicago postseason opponent will likely key in on Odunze and Loveland, given how the last few weeks have gone, games like this Cleveland duel show that when Johnson makes it a priority to get Burden the ball in open space, he is slippery enough to reel off some big plays in clutch situations.