Bear Digest

Another second-round signing only heightens Luther Burden intrigue

The 35th pick has signed a fully guaranteed contract but now there are really problems as the Bears wait to sign 39th pick Luther Burden III.
Gene Chamberlain|
Luther Burden III (87) gets set to throw a block in a blocking drill for receivers during Bears rookie camp.
Luther Burden III (87) gets set to throw a block in a blocking drill for receivers during Bears rookie camp. | David Banks-Imagn Images

In this story:

Chicago Bears

The signing of Seattle Seahawks safety Nick Emmanwori to a fully guaranteed contract does the Bears no favors as they hope to get wide receiver Luther Burden III signed for the start to training camp.

It's almost like the hot potato has been passed to someone else.

Emmanwori was pick No. 35 and Burden 39. The pressure point in this waiting game to see who is first without a fully guaranteed deal now shifts to 36th pick Quinshon Judkins and the Browns.

Is Judkins going to be the highst selected second-round pick this year who does not get a fully guaranteed contract? Judkins’ recent arrest on domestic violence and battery charges compound the matter for him and actually for all picks from No. 36 through No. 42 because No. 43, 49ers defensive tackle Alfred Collins, already signed without the full guarantee.

Would Burden break ranks and sign a deal without the full guarantee at this point?  It would seem unlikely because a quarterback, Saints pick Tyler Shough, was No. 40 and it’s widely reported in New Orleans that he expects a fully guaranteed deal as player who will likely wind up as the team's starting quarterback.

This really complicates things for Burden, who is the only one of three unsigned Bears second-round picks. Burden definitely needs to wait on Shough.

Making matters worse was a report from veteran Cleveland Browns reporter Mary Kay Cabot of the Plain Dealer.

“The Browns are in no rush to sign Quinshon Judkins to his rookie contract or get him to camp on time as they continue to gather information on his legal matter,” she wrote Tuesday. 

The incident could very well put picks 37-42 on hold unless one does break rank.

“Furthermore, they’ve stressed to Judkins and his agent, Todd France, that Judkins must make his domestic incident the high priority over football,” Cabot wrote.

What exactly this means for 37th pick Jonah Savaiinaea, Miami’s offensive lineman, or Burden and No. 38 pick TreVeyon Henderson of the Patriots isn’t clear. Are they left waiting while the Browns sort out the charges against Judkins and also whether he gets a guaranteed contract?

Or does the fully guaranteed gravy train stop now with Emmanwori at 35?

None of this really amounts to much money difference unless a player is cut before his third year. The full guarantee is the thing.

The Bears last season cut a Day 2 wide receiver who couldn’t make it past the first game of his third season–Velus Jones Jr.  However, Jones was a third-round pick and not a second-rounder. They’ve had problems with second-round receivers, too, though. Anthony Miller never made it to his fourth year, but did get through the third year of his deal before he was cut.

If the Bears didn’t have the guarantee issue involved, they could quickly and easily scale a deal with a guaranteed percentage based on the 88% that Collins got and be done with it.

But the standoff continues, now for Nos. 36-42.

Burden's absence from all of on-field OTAs and minicamp work due to a soft tissue injury suffered in rookie camp definitely doesn't help now if there is a longer holdout. Coach Ben Johnson made it clear he is already behind when OTAs ended.

"He misses a lot," Johnson said. "Any time you're not out there, if you're in the training room when the rest of the guys are practicing, you're losing valuable time; valuable time with your coaches, valuable reps with your teammates, the ability to build the trust that we're talking about. 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 have to be out there. They have to see you do it. They have to know that the guy to the right and the left of them are going to do the right things, and they're going to make the plays when called upon. It's for everybody.

"It's a shame that he got dinged up and missed all that time, because for a young player, it's really where you where you get the most reps and you can get better in a hurry that way. That's really for every player on this team."

Burden could become a key component of the Bears offense as a slot receiver.

As Johnson said this offseason, the ball always seems to find the slot in his offense. However, it won't find Burden in that slot unless he has a contract, and reporting day for Bears rookies is Saturday.

More Chicago Bears News

X: BearsOnSI

Published | Modified
Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.