The Chicago Bears wrapped up their spring practices last week. Although there is a lot of excitement around Ben Johnson and the Chicago Bears offense, OTAs and minicamp shone a bit of negative light on two Bears rookies. First-round tight end Colston Loveland and second-round receiver Luther Burden missed time due to injury.
While Loveland's absence was expected, Burden suffered a soft tissue injury during rookie minicamp. On the surface, Burden missing time due to injury is understandable. However, there could be more reasons to be skeptical about Burden's absence.
Luther Burden Could Already be Causing Headaches for the Chicago Bears
Though the injury is being cited as the main reason Burden didn't practice, it's also important to note he still has yet to sign his contract.
Now, the former University of Missouri star is not the only draft pick yet to sign a contract. In fact, Cincinnati Bengals first-round pick Shemar Stewart has still not signed his contract.
That said, Burden not signing on the dotted line and also missing practice is a big deal. Coming out of college, there were concerns about how committed Burden was to the game of football. Not practicing because of an injury and a potential contract standoff is not a good look for someone with commitment questions.
During Johnson's penultimate press conference for the spring, he spoke about the important reps Burden is missing.
"Valuable time with your coaches, valuable reps with your teammates, the ability to build the trust that we’re talking about.," Johnson said. "It’s not just the coaching staff having trust in you doing the right thing over and over, but it’s also your teammates.
"They’ve got to be out there. They’ve got to see you do it. They’ve got to know that the guy [on the left or right of them], that they’re going to do the right things, and that they’re going to make the plays when called upon.”
Ben Johnson on Luther Burden III missing valuable time: pic.twitter.com/scn9oZJdwf
— Bears on CHSN (@CHSN_Bears) June 10, 2025
Clearly, Johnson and the Bears organization would have preferred to have their second round pick out on the field. Though fans may never have true clarity on why Burden missed all the spring sessions, they hope all issues are resolved by training camp. If not, things could get ugly for the young receiver.