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Why Luther Burden Hype for This Bears Season Will Only Keep Building

Already the second-year receiver has been the focus of great attention by the Bears and others but it's likely to increase even more for numerous reasons.
Gene Chamberlain|
Luther Burden III tries to turn upfield against the Detroit Lions last season.
Luther Burden III tries to turn upfield against the Detroit Lions last season. | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

If there's one Chicago Bears player who built up his reputation most throughout off-season work. it was wide receiver Luther Burden.

It's the reason Colston Loveland was calling Burden, "the truth," and coach Ben Johnson said, "I'm buying Luther Burden stock right now."

Burden's abilities to take it to a higher level this season are based on solid reasons as well as tell-tale numbers from his first season. It didn't even take seeing him make receptions or display his speed in OTAs and minicamp, but he did that anyway.

Here's why to expect the second-year receiver will emerge at a much higher level than the Bears saw at the end of last season, and needs to be regarded as a potential focus point for fantasy football owners.

The numbers

Johnson is a believer in analytics and when he saw last year how effective Burden had been through the prism of numerous statistical breakdowns, it provided optimism.

Next Gen Stats had Burden at 4.6 yards of separation. No receiver in the NFL was better.

Next Gen Stats also had Burden at 7.4 yards of cushion, third best among receivers and that type of number led to another statistic. He had a 6.5-yard expected average after the catch. Only Rashee Rice was better in the NFL among receivers. His actual yards after the catch per reception was 7.4, third highest in the league behind only Rice (8.2) and DK Metcalf (7.6).

A 123.1 passer rating when targeted as fourth highest for all wide receivers. Only Tez Johnson (123.5), Puka Nacua (127.3) and Kayshon Boutte (133.2) were better.

Maybe the best statistic Burden had was yards per route run. His average was 2.71 and third best in the league. That was more yaverage yards per route run than any rookie receiver in the last decade.

Despite all of these numbers, Burden made only two touchdown catches last season. Consider the boost in confidence he'll get when the numbers and added duties mean more trips into the end zone.

The role change

When DJ Moore was traded, Burden's opportunities greatly increased. The same was true with Olamide Zaccheaus. Burden last year piled up those impressive analytics as a lesser-used target. Caleb Williams only threw to Burden 60 times. Even Zaccheaus was looked to more than Burden. He had 65 targets.

Considering how Burden had only 47 catches for 652 yards despite his impressive analytics, to Johnson he has to look like an unopened Christmas present does to a child.

Ben Johnson

The fact Johnson has already singled out Burden as an expected chief weapon is encouraging considering he also has Colston Loveland, Rome Odunze, Cole Kmet and others available.

"We have this whole slew of weapons we’re looking to maximize," Johnson said. "I think that’s the fun part. The plays don’t matter so much to me; it’s more so how do we get these guys the ball in space to do what they do so well."

It means his creativity is going to be focused on Burden more. Consider how Johnson didn't really even know what Burden could do last year, so he didn't really design as much to take advantage of the Missouri receiver's skillset.

It wasn't just that Burden was a rookie. He didn't even participate in offseason work with the team after the end of rookie camp as a result of soft tissue injuries. It's why a player like Zaccheaus could have had a bigger role through most of the first half of the season.

Even after it was apparent Burden was making plays, there was only so much Johnson could do at that point to alter the attack. It was well into the season by this point and altering what they had pracitced all offseason for the sake of one target isn't happening. They already were doing this to an extent with rookie Colston Loveland because he had a similar offseason of inactivity, but Johnson's offense was designed already to take advantage of the move-tight end position.

Now, Johnson is crafting plays and more ways for Burden to get the ball.

Where it can go

What hasn't been seen from Burden, or has only been seen in small bits, is a major reason for the excitement.

They rarely threw downfield to Burden. He showed it with is first touchdown catch, the 65-yard flea-flicker bomb he caught against Dallas. His average target distance was only 7.7 yards. That was only 95th among all wide receivers in the league. There were 10 tight ends who averaged targets farther downfield than Burden, including two on his own team — Kmet (8.8) and Loveland (9.0)

When Amon-Ra St. Brown broke into the league before Johnson was coordinator in Detroit, he had 119 rookie targets. In Johnson's first year and St. Brown's second, the target total increased to 146. Johnson immediately saw the potential and had to use St. Brown that way because there were few other weapons available. Johnson couldn't do this with Burden last year with so little time to get the rookie used to the NFL game and the offense due to the offseason injuries.

Now, they've put in the work and are changing focus. Where that can go was best expressed by Johnson's comment about buying stock in the second-year receiver.

When the guy calling the shots is willing to go out on that limb, everyone in football — real or fantasy — needs to take note.

Expectations like this are a huge burden to bear for any player but the Bears' Burden has all the numbers and reasons to thing it's possible.

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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.

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