RESOLVING THE LEDGER
This is one outlet's own report from Chicago Sun-Times — the article as it was filed. Other outlets are covering the same event; open the full story to compare every source side by side.
See the full story · 1 sources
The most important people inside Halas Hall have been lining up to declare how successful Bears receiver Luther Burden will be in his second year.
“He’s the truth,” tight end Colston Loveland said in May.
“I’m buying Luther Burden stock right now,” coach Ben Johnson said in June.
Earlier this week , general manager Ryan Poles added to the shot-calling symphony.
“We’ve got to go play games and he’s got to finish this thing off ,” Poles said. “But if there’s a guy that I’m really excited about, it’s Luther Burden — just because of how much he’s grown from the day he walked in this building.”
A year ago at this time, the concerns outweighed the optimism. Burden was trying to learn the playbook while making up for lost time. He missed most of the offseason program due to injury just weeks after the Bears drafted him in Round 2.
Then Burden had a breakout December — almost exactly half his receiving yards came in his final four games of the regular season — and three catches apiece in two playoff games. The Bears had enough faith in his growth that they were comfortable trading DJ Moore to the Bills.
The former second-round pick from Missouri spent most of this past offseason around Halas Hall, nagging the Bears’ four quarterbacks to throw him passes in his free time. It’s shown up only two days into training camp. Thursday, he caught a simple out pattern and sprinted down the sideline for more than 30 yards before anyone touched him.
“You saw in the spring, he was one of those guys that you really saw the skillset flourish,” offensive coordinator Press Taylor said Thursday. “Now, he's not thinking quite as much. He's able to just go out, react, play, not worry about where I'm standing, where I'm supposed to be when the ball is snapped, who I am targeting to, my depth on routes. And you're just seeing him play.
“Luther's college tape was as good as anybody we've seen. Being able to see that skill set come out is a lot of fun.”
The narrative makes sense, intellectually — after having to learn the playbook as a rookie, receivers grow more comfortable in Year 2. They know what’s expected of them on and off the field. They put up better numbers.
Recent history, though, has said otherwise.
The climb from productive rookie to reliable Year 2 starter is a steep one. Consider: Burden finished with 652 receiving yards last season, becoming the fifth Bears rookie wideout ever to surpass 650. All four saw their numbers go down — not up — in Year 2:
• Three-time Pro Bowl receiver Harlon Hill had 1,124 as a rookie in 1954 — and 789 the next year.
• Charlie Wade had 683 as a rookie in 1974 — and never caught another NFL pass.
• Willie Gault had 836 as a rookie in 1983 — and 587 the next year.
• And teammate Rome Odunze posted 734 in 2024 — and, hampered by a foot injury that cost him five games and hampered him in others, just 661 last season.
Odunze was one of five NFL rookie receivers in 2024 who posted at least 650 receiving yards. Brian Thomas Jr., Malik Nabers, Ladd McConkey and Marvin Harrison Jr. all had fewer receiving yards during their sophomore year. The falloff was staggering — the four combined for a whopping 2,145 fewer yards in 2025.
It happened the year before, too, to a lesser extent. Of the seven receivers to post 650 receiving yards as a rookie in 2024, only three had more yards in the next year.
The Bears are fighting their own history at wide receiver.
Since the Bears drafted Pro Bowl player Alshon Jeffrey in Round 2 in 2012, the team has taken five receivers in the first three rounds. Velus Jones caught 12 balls in three years, Anthony Miller was traded after being ejected from a playoff game and Kevin White was one of the biggest top-10 busts in modern league history.
The remaining two are Odunze and Burden.
Odunze, who has his own hurdles to clear in 2026, can see the growth in Burden.
“I’m sure things are a lot clearer and slowing down for him a little bit more,” Odunze said. “And you can see it out there for him on the field, absolutely. “
Johnson’s offense is democratic enough that quarterback Caleb Williams doesn’t figure to lean heavily on just one player. The two receivers will get competition from outside their position room, too — from running back D’Andre Swift, who had 299 receiving yards last year; Colston Loveland, who led the Bears with 713 receiving yards; and fellow tight end Cole Kmet, who had 347.
If the buzz surrounding Burden is any indication, though, he’ll get his chance to become the breakout star so many have predicted.
“When he catches the ball — he said it one of his first times out — he's a problem,” Williams said. “And so I’ve just got to give him the ball. He runs great routes. He loses defenders. He's smooth in his routes. So be able to deliver him a good ball. I'm excited for him.”
AIPROPX is an independent multi-source news index — we track, compare, and connect coverage from across the web into one place you won't find anywhere else.