Bears coach Ben Johnson says he is
'buying Luther Burden stock' going into the season
[May 29, 2026]
By JAY COHEN
LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — Luther Burden was hungry when he joined the
Chicago Bears. A year later, not much has changed on that front.
He has somewhere he wants to go, and he is determined to reach that
level.
“Just prove, you know, that I am who I say I am. ... I’m that guy,”
Burden said Thursday on the second day of organized team activities.
The Bears are believers, and they showed just how much they think of
Burden's potential when they traded veteran receiver DJ Moore to
Buffalo in March. With Moore gone, the 22-year-old Burden is
expected to take on a more prominent role alongside fellow receiver
Rome Odunze and second-year tight end Colston Loveland.
“Yeah, I’m buying Luther Burton stock right now," coach Ben Johnson
said. “Just how he’s approached his offseason, it’s been electric.
It showed up yesterday. He had numerous explosive plays. ... So he’s
in a really good spot.”
Burden starred at the University of Missouri before he was selected
by Chicago in the second round of last year's draft. He had 61
catches for 676 yards and six TDs in his final season with the
Tigers, despite facing constant double- and triple-team coverage.
He was hampered by a hamstring injury in the run-up to his first
training camp with the Bears. But he finished with 47 receptions for
652 yards and two touchdowns in 15 games during his rookie season.
"Every day he goes to work, he knows his ability, and it shows,”
running back D’Andre Swift said.
Burden had just two receptions for 2 yards in his first two NFL
games. But he broke out in a 31-14 victory over Dallas in Week 3,
finishing with three catches for 101 yards and his first TD. He had
a season-high eight receptions for 138 yards and a touchdown in a
42-38 loss at San Francisco on Dec. 28.
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Chicago Bears wide receiver Luther Burden III (10) works on the
field as wide receiver Jahdae Walker (9) looks on during the NFL
football team's practice Thursday, May 28, 2026, in Lake Forest,
Ill. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
He averaged 2.69 yards per route run during the
regular season, according to Pro Football Focus, ranking third in
the league among wide receivers.
“When we drafted him, we saw an explosive athlete who was really
dangerous with the ball in his hands. The question was, ‘How can we
get it in his hands?’” Johnson said. “The easy things to do are
screens or short throws, but I think there’s a lot more to his game
that we’ve worked to unlock, and he’s been really receptive to how
we can get that done.”
Burden said Moore played a big role in his
development.
“Just seeing how he takes care of his body, how he prepares himself
for practice, games, stuff like that,” he said. “And just picking
his brain. It was great.”
Burden said he feels someone has to step up with Moore gone, and he
prepared for his second year in the NFL by spending much of his
offseason at the Bears' facility. He wanted to get bigger, stronger
and faster, along with more comfortable with the playbook.
He thinks his familiarity with the system is already helping him
play faster this time around.
“I feel it helps a lot because if you’re thinking about what you’ve
gotta do, you can’t even focus on what the defense is in,” he said.
“You’re trying to focus on what you’ve gotta do. If you already know
what you’ve gotta do, I feel like you’ll have a better plan of how
to attack their defense.”
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