Everyone is falling in love with the idea that Chicago Bears wide receiver Luther Burden III is going to be the breakout star the franchise needs in 2026.
Bears head coach Ben Johnson has jumped on the bandwagon, prompting everyone else to do so as well after the way Burden ended the 2025 season and looked in OTA workouts. ESPN NFL analyst Andrew Hawkins, being a former NFL wide receiver himself, was also impressed with Burden's abilities and his potential this season.
"Love what you said about Luther Burden III because I think he is gonna be the breakout wide receiver of the 2026 NFL season," Hawkins said on ESPN's NFL Live. "When you watch him last year, and he really wasn't like a true point of the offense until midway point to later, but on 60 targets, he had 47 receptions. He almost led the team even in like a minimal amount of offensive targets and snaps. And again, not coming on till late in the season. He does it in yards after catch. He does it in contested catches. He runs great routes. He does it intermediate. He's down the field. I think he's gonna turn into a true number one, and this offense is gonna take even another big leap to your point in year 2 with Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams. Bears fans love to hear that."
Should this buzz be more about Luther Burden III or another Bears WR?
It was a very slow start for Burden in 2025, but when Rome Odunze got hurt, he stepped up to the plate late in the season and looked good. Burden finished his rookie season with 47 receptions for 652 yards and two touchdowns.
The speed and ability to pick up yards after the catch made it easy for the Bears to move Burden up on the depth chart and trade DJ Moore away in the offseason. Burden has the potential to be a great receiver in the NFL and do it for a long time. He's the perfect fit for what Johnson needs in his offense.
All this attention on Burden should also be kind of concerning for Bears fans for one reason: where's the love for Odunze? Sure, Odunze created some buzz at OTAs, but not at the level that Burden has had throughout the offseason.
Chicago selected Odunze in the first round back in 2024, and while he also has the potential to be a great receiver, he hasn't had a 1,000-yard season, and a foot injury kept him out of five games last year. The Bears need to see more out of him this season, making it a critical year for the young receiver.
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There aren't many people who are necessarily doubting Odunze for the moment, but it feels more like Burden could replace him as WR1, which would mean the Bears made a bad investment in a first-round pick for Odunze. The Bears are hoping that Odunze can rise from the ashes and put together his best season yet.
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