Luther Burden Hype Train Adds 2 More Riders Ahead of Chicago Bears' 2026 season

Two more writers are getting on board the Luther Burden hype train as expectations remain high for the Chicago Bears wideout.

Chicago Bears wide receiver Luther Burden III. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There has been no shortage of hype for Chicago Bears wideout Luther Burden and we now have yet another believer.

Bleacher Report's Moe Moton listed his second-year wide receiver breakout candidates and Burden was tops on the list.

Along with Burden, he named the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Emeka Egbuka, the Houston Texans' Jayden Higgins, the Washington Commanders' Jaylin Lane and the Carolina Panthers' Tetairoa McMIllan.

"Burden could emerge as the Bears' lead wide receiver in a passing offense that finished 10th in yards and touchdowns last season," Moton wrote. "So, just like Johnson, you should buy stock in the wideout, too. He has the most upside among the Bears' wide receivers in a high-scoring offense."

Along with Moton, The Athletic's Dan Wiederer has also labeled the Bears wideout as a breakout candidate.

"As a rookie, Burden came alive down the stretch, posting 40 catches, 547 yards and a touchdown, including playoffs, over his final 10 games," Wiederer wrote. "Now, he has increased confidence, heightened trust from his play caller (Johnson), growing chemistry with his quarterback (Caleb Williams) and continued praise from his teammates."

A second-round pick of the Bears in 2025, Burden finished his first year in the league with 47 catches for 652 receiving yards and two touchdowns — and there's reason to believe he's capable of more.

Why so much hype for Luther Burden?

Chicago Bears wide receiver Luther Burden III. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The hype surrounding Burden comes in part due to his strong finish to last season and the fact that he's now set for a bigger target share with D.J. Moore gone. He has also routinely been among Chicago's bigger standouts during the spring.

But head coach Ben Johnson is also driving the hype.

Johnson first heaped praise on Burden at the league meetings in March. The Bears head coach said Burden was "exactly what we thought we were getting out of the draft last year" and he called Burden a "dynamic playmaker" while noting the Bears need to make sure he gets the rock as much as possible in 2026.

"He's got some of the best run-after-the-catch in the game right now. I really believe that," Johnson added. "We've got to continue to get the ball in his hands as often as we possibly can."

Then, during OTAs, Johnson continued building hype for the second-year wideout.

“I’m buying Luther Burden stock right now," Johnson said. “He’s been extremely coachable.”

"He looks like he is moving at a different speed right now. He is not thinking as much. The game is slowing down for him," Johnson added.

Part of Burden being able to take a step forward in 2026 is his taking to coaching and clearly that is not an issue for him.

The one issue for Burden truly breaking out is he's surrounded by two good pass-catchers who are going to command a ton of targets in Rome Odunze and Colston Loveland.

That said, it's not out of the realm of possibility for Burden to break 1,000 yards. At the very least, we would expect him to surpass his rookie production by a few hundred yards and to score a handful of touchdowns.