Chicago Bears wide receiver Luther Burden III is in store for a second-year leap during the 2026 NFL season.
“I’m buying Luther Burden stock right now,” Bears coach Ben Johnson told reporters Thursday. “He looks like he’s playing at a different speed right now.”
Chicago traded DJ Moore to the Buffalo Bills this offseason, which presumably elevated Burden’s spot on the depth chart to one of the top two wide receiver spots alongside Rome Odunze.
The Bears selected the Missouri product with a second-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft, and he didn’t make a major impact until his third game when he exploded for 101 receiving yards and a touchdown in a win over the Dallas Cowboys.
From there, he reached the 50-yard mark in five more games, including when he surpassed 100 yards again in a December victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
Burden finished his rookie campaign with 47 catches for 652 yards and two touchdowns while helping lead the Bears to the NFC North title and a postseason run to the Divisional Round. Odunze and Moore were the only wide receivers on the team with more yards through the air, although tight end Colston Loveland led the entire team with 713 receiving yards.
Even without Moore on the roster, there is plenty of optimism around the Bears offense.
Quarterback Caleb Williams will be entering his third year overall and second year with the offensive-minded Johnson, while Odunze, Burden and Loveland are all young in their second or third years in the league.
With more experience under their belt, they all figure to take another step in 2026 as Chicago looks to compete for another divisional crown.
And Burden will be a major part of it, so, as Johnson said, start buying that stock now.
