The Chicago Bears are well into training camp, and head coach Ben Johnson continues to put his mark on the franchise. Johnson's leadership and energy have brought a noted change that the team has been badly in need of. A piece of this is open critiques and a willingness to demand a level of preparedness that the Bears' offense was unable to reach in the 2024 season. A big piece of this was poor coaching and an inability to set up rookie quarterback Caleb Williams to take the next steps in his career. With this in mind, it doesn't come as a surprise that Johnson didn't hesitate to call out his rookie receiver.
Luther Burden missed extensive time this offseason with an injury, unable to go through the typical offseason reps. It has taken an obvious toll, with Burden causing the team to delay a walk-through based on the rookie lining up incorrectly. Johnson didn't hide his displeasure with the speedy receiver being behind. It opens the door to wonder if the team might consider bringing in another option at the position. While Burden has plenty of time to catch up, there are two interesting veteran fits remaining on the market.
Bears Head Coach Calls Out Rookie Receiver Luther Burden
Ben Johnson has some Vic Fangio in him and I'm here for it.
— Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) July 29, 2025
On the time Luther Burden has missed:
"It shows up already. I mean, we were in the walk-through yesterday afternoon and the misalignments – we have to re-huddle, we have to start it all over again. He’s a little bit…
Amari Cooper and Keenan Allen both remain free agents. Allen had a solid year with the Bears in 2024 and has an established level of chemistry with Williams. If Burden continues to underwhelm throughout the summer, a reunion could make sense for both sides. The veteran brings the advantage of knowing Chicago's offensive pieces and having an established relationship with the franchise quarterback. It is a move the Bears must at least consider if the struggles continue.
Cooper makes sense for the exact same reasons, but lacks the experience in Chicago's offense. Still, it is a potential option if Burden cannot get up to speed in the next weeks. For Johnson, this isn't ideal with Burden needing to be up to speed for the offense to work at its best. A lot of what the former Detroit OC does so well is use speed to create misdirection and hit big plays.
Burden is vital to the rest of the offense reaching their potential ceiling, utilizing his speed to set up what Johnson does best. With this in mind, the best case scenario isn't signing one of the available veterans, but the rookie being able to catch up in the next weeks of camp and stepping into the third receiver role.