Chicago Bears rookie Luther Burden III is pushing through pain at Bears minicamp. Burden wants to impress this season at wideout.
Chicago Bears rookie wide receiver Luther Burden III is feeling good. Burden is downplaying any injury issues as he makes his way through the team's minicamp.
“After checking out of practice yesterday (Saturday) with some discomfort, Luther Burden III was back on the field and making plays,” Bears reporter Chris Emma said on X, formerly Twitter.
Emma, a reporter for 670 The Score, also posted a video of Burden running a route at Bears minicamp.
Burden was a star for Missouri football the last few seasons. In 2024, the wideout posted 676 receiving yards and six touchdowns.
Those numbers were down from a year before. Burden was arguably the best wideout in college during the 2023 season. That year he had 86 receptions for 1,212 yards and nine touchdowns.
Burden was chosen in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft by the Bears. He was seen by many as a possible first round pick after that 2023 campaign. He slid, possibly due to the dip in numbers last season.
“That's staying with me forever,” Burden said to reporters Friday, per USA Today. “Everybody who passed up on me got to pay.”
Bears fans will surely be watching closely as Burden progresses. Chicago finished the 2024 season with a 5-12 record.
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The Bears hope to rebuild into a playoff team for 2025
The Bears are likely to use Burden a lot in the offense for the 2025 season. Chicago is led by young quarterback Caleb Williams, who was the no. 1 overall pick of the 2024 draft.
Williams struggled at times during his rookie season. Burden allows him another weapon in the passing game.
“All I need is me to believe in myself. I don’t need everybody else to believe in me. As long as I believe in myself, I’m gonna handle business,” Burden added. “I had this attitude since I’ve been playing sports. It’s just in me.”
The Bears lost wide receiver Keenan Allen in free agency. Chicago could fill the gap in the slot with Burden, who played a lot of snaps at Missouri in the SEC. He was on the Tigers team that won the Cotton Bowl in 2023 over Ohio State. Burden also had 375 receiving yards in the 2022 season at Missouri.
The Bears are in a very difficult NFC North Division, with Green Bay, Detroit and Minnesota. All three of those teams made the playoffs in the 2024 NFL season. None of them made the Super Bowl.
