The Bears WR who should lose playing to Luther Burden isn't who everyone thought

After an embarrassing loss to the Detroit Lions in Week 2, Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson professed a plan for changes that would be coming to get the offense on a better track. That plan didn't come to full fruition the following week, and the plan still hasn't come to full fruition, but signs of what was to come were there.

In that Week 3 game against the Dallas Cowboys, rookie wide receiver Luther Burden had three catches for 101 yards, highlighted by a 65-yard touchdown on a flea flicker. The follow-up in Week 4 against the Las Vegas Raiders was dismal (two catches for minus-four yards), but the bye week in Week 5 looked like a point where Johnson could get in the lab and find ways to get Burden (and others) more involved.

In Week 6 against the Washington Commanders, Burden had a team-high four receptions while leading Bears' wide receivers with 51 yards. He has now caught 11 of 12 targets this season, with a league-best 146.5 passer rating when he's been targeted by Caleb Williams.

As was and has been the issue though, Burden played just 15 offensive snaps against the Commanders (a 23.4 percent snap share). That said, his involvement (route share, target share) got a post-bye week bump.

Luther Burden is lined up take playing time from a Bears WR (and it's not who you think)

Heading into Week 7, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune got what he regards as a staple of his weekly mailbag-- a question wondering if Burden's role will increase moving forward.

"What I can tell you is Burden was on the field for 15 snaps at Washington. He ran 12 routes and wound up leading the position group with four catches for 51 yards. When you consider Olamide Zaccheaus played 54 snaps and had a bad drop on a crosser — the ball was perfectly delivered by Caleb Williams — maybe that will create a scenario in which Burden’s playing time increases. He has been consistently in the teens in snaps through the first five games."

"The next step is seeing that figure bump up to 25 or slightly more. Some of that will be game-plan-dependent, and DJ Moore’s availability — Ben Johnson called him day to day with his groin injury — is a factor in Sunday’s game against the Saints. I’d say things are looking up for Burden and more playing time."

The injury that sent Moore to the hospital after the Commanders' game is a layer that could bolster Burden's playing time against the New Orleans Saints in Week 7. But in response to a separate mailbag question wondering if Moore is generally being phased out of the Bears' offense, Biggs cited how he played 60 of the 64 offensive snaps against Washington as a sign that is not the case.

Biggs named the Bears' wide receiver who is more likely to lose playing time to Burden. It's safe to say fans, and analysts with a more objective view, strongly agree.

Zaccheaus played a season-high 84 percent of the offensive snaps against the Commanders, with two catches on six targets along with the bad drop Biggs referenced. He has played at least 57 percent of the offensive snaps in three straight games, with 10 catches for 89 yards over that span. Burden has nine catches for 148 yards over that same span, on fewer snaps (51) than Zaccheaus had in Week 6 alone (54).

As obvious as it seems it is to everyone outside Halas Hall, it's safe to assume Johnson and Bears' offensive staff see how Burden can/should play more on an even deeper level.

Read more: D'Andre Swift situation may have Ben Johnson back in all-too familiar territory

Moore has been the low-hanging fruit as the one who'll lose playing time to Burden, with a layer of trade rumors laced in. But Zacchaeus is playing a snap share that has not earned, and the time has come for that snap share to shift dramatically toward the more talented rookie.