The Chicago Bears made a difficult but necessary decision in the 2026 offseason to trade away veteran wide receiver DJ Moore. That move obviously sent one of the team's top playmakers away, but it also set up young wide receiver Luther Burden III for a much bigger role in his second NFL season.
Entering OTAs, the anticipation is through the roof for the Bears' young offensive core. Caleb Williams took massive strides forward in his game last season, and the Bears' 2025 NFL Draft class featured two playmakers -- Burden and Colston Loveland -- who will be critical to the offense taking that next step forward as a whole in 2026.
Burden has a chance to become a featured weapon in his second NFL season with the departure of DJ Moore, and that isn't just offseason hyperbole. Bears head coach Ben Johnson is conducting the Luther Burden hype train at Bears OTAs, even offering it up in his media session that he's "buying" Burden stock right now.
It couldn't be better news at this point of the offseason for a young playmaker this team is really going to depend on in 2026.
Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson is buying Luther Burden stock early in the team's offseason program
Ben Johnson: “I’m buying Luther Burden stock right now.” High praise for second year #Bears wide receiver. “He’s been extremely coachable.”
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) May 28, 2026
Here is the full quote from Johnson when asked about Burden after a recent Bears OTAs session:
"I'm buying Luther Burden stock right now. How he's approached this offseason, it's been electric. It showed up yesterday, he had numerous explosive plays. I loved how in Phase 2 he was finishing every single rep that he took...
He's in a really good spot. He's still developing and growing his route tree...
He's been extremely coachable, so I'm really happy with him."
- Bears HC Ben Johnson (at Bears OTAs)
It was a bit of a surprise that the Bears were able to get their hands on Burden in the first place. He was widely considered a 1st-round prospect in the 2025 NFL Draft class, but ended up falling out of the 1st round entirely and right into the Bears' laps early in the 2nd.
As a rookie, he showed what he can do on multiple occasions, racking up 47 receptions for 652 yards on just 60 targets. Although every rookie has their struggles, Burden's progression was obvious, and he's playing under one of the best offensive minds in the league.
We all saw what Johnson was capable of doing with player development, especially at the offensive skill positions, while he was with the Detroit Lions. We got our first taste of it in Chicago last year, and it feels like a Luther Burden breakout season is all but a certainty when the head coach comes out and starts talking about him like this.
With DJ Moore vacating so many targets within the offense, Burden's role will have even more clarity as a second-year player. He will no longer be an exciting secondary option in the passing game, but a featured weapon in the starting lineup.
Read more: Bears' viral OTA clip of Caleb Williams and Colston Loveland is pure euphoria
And if Ben Johnson is buying his stock, everybody else should be as well.
Add us as a preferred source on Google