Luther Burden Trending Towards a Return from Injury in Time for Week 1

It's been a rough summer for the Chicago Bears in terms of training camp injuries. Free agency acquisition Coby Bryant's injury became a worst-case scenario earlier this month, sidelining him for four to six months, and Kyler Gordon still hasn't taken a single snap, despite starting training camp on the PUP list (Physically Unable to Perform).

The offense has been hurt too, with Luther Burden III dealing with a groin injury he suffered early in training camp. While he avoided a major injury, the news was still a mixed bag for the Bears as Burden has missed most of training camp and all three preseason games. However, he appears to be trending in the right direction and may be ready for Week 1.

According to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, Burden was "moving well" as he ran some routes ahead of the Bears' final preseason game. "Maybe not 100%, but he's running routes and getting in and out of his breaks," Biggs said on X. "That bodes well for potential Week 1 availability two weeks from tomorrow."

The Bears should not rush Luther Burden back from injury

Chicago Bears WR Luther Burden III stretches during Minicamp at Halas Hall. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While this is the second positive injury update on Burden in just the past week, I wouldn't act too rashly if I were the Chicago Bears' coaching staff. If he's still not 100% in two weeks, I would say to let him rest. Burden may be a critical component of Ben Johnson's offense and the expectant WR1 on the Bears' depth chart, but the Bears could afford to go one game without him, especially in Week 1 against a vulnerable opponent like the Carolina Panthers.

Alternatively, if the Bears try to rush Burden back before he's fully healed, they risk the same catastrophic scenario they saw last year. Two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jaylon Johnson injured his groin during a private workout in July and missed all of training camp. He tried to make his season debut in Week 2 but reinjured himself and was ruled out indefinitely.

I would hope that Johnson's disappointing 2025 campaign would serve as a cautionary tale for the Bears regarding Burden. Groin injuries can be tricky, and even when Johnson was on the field last year, he was clearly nowhere close to the best version of himself. It'd be far better for the team to go without Burden in Week 1 than to miss him for the next 10 weeks, if that's what it comes down to.

Bears' season depends on Luther Burden having a breakout season

Despite a wildly successful 2025 season, the Bears are not content to rest on their laurels. They have big plans for the 2026 season, and head coach Ben Johnson intends to break the 2013 Broncos' NFL scoring record. If they're going to have any chance of achieving this goal, the Bears will need as close to a full season of Luther Burden as they can get.

Burden's speed and explosive playmaking ability after the catch make him a true homerun threat every time he steps on the field. He showed flashes of brilliance last year as a rookie, and those flashes should become trends now that he has a full year of experience in Ben Johnson's offense under his belt. Rome Odunze might still have a breakout season of his own, but he's not the kind of electric playmaker that Burden is.

If Burden hits his ceiling in 2026, that will likely mean that Caleb Williams has ended Chicago's 106-year streak without a 4,000-yard passer, and the Bears will almost certainly repeat as NFC North division champs, assuming the defense can hold up their end of the bargain.

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