Well, if it wasn't clear to Chicago Bears fans before, it is now how blunt the head coach Ben Johnson can be about football.
Johnson spoke with the media prior to their practice on Tuesday, where he didn't hold back on his rookie wide receiver, Luther Burden, who practiced for the first time on Monday after returning from his soft tissue injury. The comment on Burden revolved around Johnson, already noting how behind his rookie pass catcher is in training camp.
"It shows up already. I mean, we were in the walk-through yesterday afternoon and the misalignments – we have to re-huddle, we have to start it all over again. He’s a little bit behind right now."
Ben Johnson has some Vic Fangio in him and I'm here for it.
— Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) July 29, 2025
On the time Luther Burden has missed:
"It shows up already. I mean, we were in the walk-through yesterday afternoon and the misalignments – we have to re-huddle, we have to start it all over again. He’s a little bit…
Johnson is not holding back, but Burden has some catching up to do at Bears training camp
It's not like Johnson is wrong. Burden is still learning and only has been on the field for one practice, so it isn't going to be perfect for the rookie receiver.
The Bears selected Burden in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft in the hopes that he would be their new starting slot receiver to replace Keenan Allen. That soft tissue injury Burden has been dealing with has kept him off the field for part of the offseason and missed all of last week's training camp practices because of it.
Burden isn't guaranteed the starting job as he will have to face off against veteran Olamide Zaccheaus, who has been a proven, solid slot receiver in the NFL. Chicago wants to have Burden on the field to start building that chemistry with his quarterback Caleb Williams.
The good news is that there is plenty of time during training camp for Burden to get caught up, and he will have preseason games to get a feel for the speed of the NFL. Missing a few days isn't the end of the world, but it does put Burden at a slight disadvantage in being ready by September.
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If Burden can live up to his expectations, he could end up being special in this offense, which already has so many weapons to throw to.