The Chicago Bears are expecting big things from second-year wide receiver Luther Burden, and that includes head coach Ben Johnson. After the Bears wrapped up their first OTA practice this week, Johnson made it clear that he is buying into the growing hype surrounding Burden entering the 2026 season.
Chicago Bears are preparing for a big year from Luther Burden
The anticipation around Burden has already been building throughout the offseason, and Johnson’s comments are only going to add more excitement. Burden started his rookie season slowly after being drafted in the second round, but he finished the year as one of the more productive receivers on the roster. On a per-route basis, he was also one of the most efficient rookie wide receivers in the NFL.
Wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle-El noted earlier this offseason that Burden really started to hit his stride around Week 13, and the numbers back that up. His production jumped late in the season, and he became a much more consistent part of the offense during the playoff push.
Since then, the Bears traded D.J. Moore to the Buffalo Bills, opening up a major opportunity in the offense. Chicago did bring in Khaliff Raymond and drafted Zavion Thomas, but neither move drastically changed expectations for the receiving room. Raymond has familiarity with Johnson’s offense, but he is more of a complementary receiver, while Thomas is viewed more as a gadget-type player entering his rookie season.
That leaves a lot of available targets for Burden to step into during year two.
It is not just about total targets, either. There are also more opportunities available specifically in the slot, which could be a huge development for Burden. While Burden had a higher percentage of slot snaps than Moore last season, Moore still led the team in total slot snaps because he was on the field more often overall.
The slot has consistently been an important part of Johnson’s offense. During his time in Detroit, he found ways to maximize Amon-Ra St. Brown from inside alignments, creating space and easy opportunities for production. The Bears could be looking to do something similar with Burden this season by increasing his workload from the slot.
Burden has also checked many of the boxes that teams want to see from a player preparing for a breakout season. Coaches have consistently praised his work ethic throughout OTAs, and reports continue to mention him arriving early and staying late during practices and meetings.
The talent has already flashed on the field in stretches, particularly late last season. Now, he enters a situation where there are more snaps available, more targets open in the offense, and a coaching staff clearly ready to feature him in a larger role.
Everything appears to be lining up for Burden to take a major step forward in 2026.
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