-
Courtney Cronin
LAKE FOREST, In poor health. — After spending greater than two months sidelined with a hamstring damage that he sustained throughout OTAs, Chicago Bears rookie broad receiver Luther Burden III wasn’t seeking to ease his method into follow as soon as he was cleared for coaching camp on July 28.
Bears coach Ben Johnson took that very same method with the second-round choose. Whereas his workload elevated every day in the course of the second week of camp, the tolerance for psychological errors and errors was as low for Burden because it was every other participant who did not have as a lot catching as much as do.
“It reveals up already,” Johnson stated. “I imply, we had been within the walk-through [Monday] afternoon and the misalignments — we’ve got to re-huddle, we’ve got to start out it over again. He is a little bit bit behind proper now.”
Throughout Burden’s first full-team follow Tuesday, the previous first-team All-SEC choice struggled to get lined up throughout an 11-on-11 drill. Johnson wasted no time booting the rookie from the rep and changed him with veteran wideout Olamide Zaccheaus.
It was that second that confirmed Burden simply how a lot the main points matter to his head coach.
“I really feel like I’ve obtained to know my stuff,” Burden stated. “[Johnson] holds all people to a excessive customary right here. It is nice for us, nice for the workforce and that is the usual right here.”
The Bears jumped on the likelihood to construct out their receiving corps behind DJ Moore and Rome Odunze in the course of the NFL draft. Whereas the workforce had hoped to be in place to pick Ohio State working again TreVeyon Henderson, who was drafted by the New England Patriots one choose earlier than Chicago, Johnson and normal supervisor Ryan Poles did not get discouraged when it was the Bears’ flip to make their first choice on the second night time of the draft at No. 39.
Burden was the next-highest participant on the Bears’ board; a prospect who had been vouched for by Bears broad receivers coach Antwaan Randle El as somebody who may make an prompt affect.
Regardless of lacking a lot time this offseason, Burden started to ship on that promise this week.
His first catch in workforce drills got here on a route run out of the slot (the place 75% of his routes generated from in the course of the 2023-24 seasons) throughout Wednesday’s purple zone session. Quarterback Caleb Williams noticed Burden create separation from nickel nook Kyler Gordon and hit him in stride. The rookie crossed into the tip zone to an ovation from followers.
It was solely Burden’s second day being full go in camp, however the pace at which the receiver moved throughout drills caught Johnson’s consideration.
“I used to be actually impressed with that,” the Bears coach stated. “He is nonetheless engaged on the alignment and the main points as you’ll anticipate for a younger participant, however the play-speed jumped off the tape to us all [Wednesday].”
Burden lived as much as his coach’s excessive reward with a standout efficiency in the course of the Bears’ longest follow of coaching camp, which spanned practically 2½ hours on Thursday. The Missouri product started his morning by catching a move from Williams in stride with veteran cornerback Tyrique Stevenson in protection. Burden hauled in one other contested catch with the second-team offense on a ball he caught down the sideline with palms in his face.
Throughout the two-minute drill on the finish of follow, backup quarterback Tyson Bagent discovered Burden on fourth-and-10 to maintain the drive alive.
That is a task Burden is used to from school the place he turned Missouri’s go-to participant in crunch time. It occurred in the course of the Tigers’ livid comeback towards Auburn when Burden beat his defender on fourth all the way down to haul in a 16-yard reception and hold his workforce on the sector. It notably came about towards South Carolina on a crucial fourth-and-5 that resulted in him catching a 37-yard landing move.
Being Williams’ go-to man in these moments is one thing Burden is eyeing as a rookie in Chicago.
“I really feel like I can do every thing on this offense,” Burden stated. “I am simply actually attempting to get my ft moist, get located on the sector and study my playbook. I really feel like every thing else will deal with itself.”
