Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson was not shy about telling the media that rookie wide receiver Luther Burden III was behind at training camp. Burden responded with a nice showing at practice.
ESPN Bears beat reporter Courtney Cronin shared her intel from training camp Wednesday as she discussed Burden's day. He appears to be heading in the right direction after making a good play.
"Burden caught his first pass of 11-on-11 during his second full practice of camp. Burden ran a route out of the slot (from where 75% of his routes were generated at Missouri from 2023 to 2024) and hauled in a catch from Williams over the middle of the field that drew an ovation from fans."
Burden's catch moves him that much closer to being ready for the regular season
Catching one pass might seem like a small feat, but Burden hasn't been around to grab balls out of the air from Caleb Williams, so this is a good sign. Burden has missed offseason workouts due to a soft tissue injury he was dealing with that also kept him out of the first few days of training camp.
Back at Missouri, Burden was a standout, earning second-team All-American honors in 2023 and first-team All-SEC recognition for two consecutive years. He finished his college career with 2,263 yards and 21 touchdowns in three seasons.
Burden is expected to be the starting slot receiver on the Bears, with Olamide Zaccheaus competing against him, and might take the top spot depending on Burden's development. Johnson had already discussed how Burden was a bit behind at training camp, but making a reception in practice is a good first step in holding off Zaccheaus.
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There's more work that needs to be done during training camp, but Bears fans can have some comfort in knowing that their speedy slot receiver is improving daily.