Luther Burden III is making it clear he doesn’t want to be boxed in.
At Bears training camp, the rookie wideout talked about how Chicago is using him all over the formation, and he sounded fully bought in to the way the staff is deploying him. With the team still sorting out its top receiving role, Burden and Rome Odunze are expected to battle for that spot, even though many view Odunze as the likely next man up after DJ Moore’s departure to Buffalo.
Burden said the coaching staff has been intentional about moving him around and widening what he can do on the field.
"I feel like Coach is doing a great job of putting me in different spots all over the field. Just having me expand, like he said. Just being all over the place, all over the field, making it hard for the defense to kind of track where I’m at."
That kind of flexibility matters for a Bears offense that is drawing plenty of attention. Coach Johnson recently labeled Chicago the number one regression candidate, which only raises the pressure on the team to deliver after the 2025 campaign. If the Bears are going to keep defenses guessing, players like Burden will have to be moved around constantly and used in a way that keeps opponents from settling in.
Burden’s confidence fits that plan. His belief that he can handle just about anything as a route runner gives Chicago a real reason to keep pushing his versatility. If that carries over once the games count, he could become one of the most difficult weapons for defenses to locate, let alone stop.
In Other News...
Caleb Williams Keeps Showing One Bears Problem Fans Know Too Well
Caleb Williams has spent training camp reinforcing a familiar trait for the Bears: he may take a little while to settle in, but he tends to find his rhythm as the work goes on. During a recent practice, he again showed some early struggles before finishing stronger, a pattern that echoes last season, when he helped fuel one of the leagues most comeback-minded stretches and kept Chicago in games long after things had gone sideways.
For the Bears, the concern is less about whether Williams can recover and more about how often the offense is putting itself in that position in the first place. Analysts around camp have pointed to the same issue the team carried through much of last year, when penalties piled up at an alarming rate and mistakes kept the offense from building cleaner drives. Williams resilience is already established, but Chicago still needs a version of this team that does not have to keep relying on late fixes. [Read more 🡒]
D'Andre Swift Faces A Bears Camp Battle With Big Money At Stake
DAndre Swift is back in the familiar grind of training camp, and for the Bears, his role still starts with being the lead back in a new setup under Ben Johnson. Swift has stressed the importance of attention to detail and preparation as the staff pushes through camp, a fitting focus for a player trying to keep his place at the center of the offense while the roster around him keeps changing.
The bigger question is how much work Swift will actually get once the games begin. Chicago is expected to share the backfield with rookie Kyle Monangai next season, a setup that could leave Swift fighting not just for touches but for clarity about where he fits long term. With his contract running down, every carry in camp carries a little more weight than usual. [Read more 🡒]
Bears Just Added Veteran Insurance To A Secondary Battle Fans Were Watching
Training camp has already started sorting out the Bears secondary, and the latest roster move adds another layer to a competition that was worth watching. Chicago brought in veteran defensive back Xavier Woods, a well-traveled NFL defender who should give the back end some depth and a little more pressure on the players fighting for jobs and roles.
The corresponding move came with Dallis Flowers heading to reserve/injured after a serious training-camp injury. For a secondary still trying to settle itself before the real games begin, it is the kind of pivot teams have to make quickly this time of year, blending opportunity for one player with a setback for another. [Read more 🡒]