The Chicago Bears have always been careful with their comments about Luther Burden since they drafted him in April. They've praised his talent coming out of Missouri, believing he possesses all the tools necessary to thrive in the NFL. Head coach Ben Johnson has done the same, but with a caveat. He's made sure to point out at every opportunity that Burden is trailing behind others in absorbing the playbook. Until that changes, he isn't likely to get the same playing time as other receivers.
However, this could be just a long, elaborate con. It is possible the Bears are doing everything they can to throw other teams off the scent of what they really think. Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report dropped a notable update, detailing what the coaches actually think of their young receiver. Put simply? They can't understand how Burden fell to 39th overall in the 2nd round. His ability is so far above that, and he's learning the offense much faster than anticipated. At this rate, he could be an X-factor in the offense far sooner than anybody anticipated.
Luther Burden could make the Bears the deepest WR corps in football.
They already have a perennial 1000-yard machine in D.J. Moore. Rome Odunze had a solid rookie season and looks poised for a breakout year. Then you add Olamide Zaccheaus, who's had arguably the best training camp of anybody on the team. If Luther Burden ascends on top of that, it is frightening to think what this Bears offense around Caleb Williams could be. This organization has been lucky to have one or two good receivers at most during various periods in history. Having four is anathema to them. It speaks to the great job done by GM Ryan Poles in piecing it together. Still, it must be proven on the field. Burden flashed his skills against Miami in the preseason opener. The key will be how many opportunities he gets when the games become serious.
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