The Chicago Bears are coming off a heart-pounding 47-42 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 9. Chicago's talented offense did exactly what it was supposed to do against one of the league's worst defenses. Along with scoring 47 points, the Bears totaled 585 yards of offense — 302 through the air and 283 on the ground.
However, not every offensive player has found their rhythm midway through the season. Rookie receiver Luther Burden hasn’t lived up to many Bears fans’ expectations. Although the second-round pick is currently sidelined with a concussion, he hasn’t contributed much when healthy. Even so, Bears fans remain optimistic given the talent they know he has.
Luther Burden Has Yet to Find His Footing in the Bears’ Offense
In seven games, Burden has caught 13 passes on 15 targets for 171 yards and one touchdown. The former University of Missouri star's best game came against the Dallas Cowboys when he caught three passes on three targets for 101 yards and one touchdown. In that game, he caught a 65-yard flea-flicker pass for a touchdown.
Despite Bears fans clamoring for more of Burden, his lack of usage shouldn't be a surprise. The rookie missed all of OTAs and the start of training camp. This put him behind the proverbial eight-ball in multiple aspects. First off, Ben Johnson's offense is a complex one to learn, with all its pre-snap motions and different alignments.
Bears fans have witnessed it take Caleb Williams and the rest of the veterans a while to try and get things ironed out. So, expecting a rookie who missed the spring practices to hit the ground running was a tall task. Burden's second obstacle is supplanting veteran Olamide Zaccheaus as the wide receiver three.
Upon Zacchaeus's arrival, Johnson seemed excited to have him part of the offense. Thus, the rookie's road to playing time this season was going to be steep. Even though fans were excited when Burden was drafted, many would have preferred if they had drafted University of Minnesota offensive tackle Aireontae Ersery.
Instead, Ersery was selected by the Houston Texans nine picks later. So far this season, Ersery has allowed five sacks, three quarterback hits, and 15 QB hurries. Moreover, he has earned a pass blocking grade of 60.2 and a run blocking grade of 46.2, according to PFF.
While Ersery's pass blocking grade is better than the Bears' other left tackles, his run blocking grade isn't. That would be a problem for Johnson, given his commitment to the run game. However, the Texans' offensive line is a mess, so there is every chance that if he ended up in Chicago with a more talented offensive line, he would be playing better.
Nevertheless, Bears fans are eager to see if Johnson will incorporate Burden into the offense more once he returns from his concussion.