Chicago Bears wide receiver Luther Burden III landed the feature image of a new article from ESPN highlighting one potential breakout candidate from every team in the NFL heading into the 2026 season.
Burden is coming off a strong rookie season, particularly after a slow start, and he is stepping into a larger role from the outset following the offseason trade of DJ Moore.
One of Burden’s former teammates offered telling thoughts about the second-year playmaker.
Bears’ Luther Burden III Gets Strong Message From Steelers’ Jaquan Brisker
Ex-Bears Star Jaquan Brisker Drops Strong Take on Luther Burden III
On Wednesday, ESPN’s Benjamin Solak chose Burden among his list of “breakout candidates,” citing the Bears youngster’s uneven rookie campaign, complete with limited playing time and mental errors that further hindered his production.
Still, Burden flashed his talent and is poised for a big Year 2, according to Solak, who believes the “sky is the limit” for the former Missouri Tiger, and the sentiments drew attention from former Bears safety Jaquan Brisker.
“Luther so cold!” Brisker posted on X on July 8 in response to a fan’s summary of Solak’s take.
Brisker has been candid about his time in Chicago and expressed a lot of support for his former teammates, even as he prepares for his first season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, with whom he signed in free agency this offseason.
Nevertheless, it is encouraging to hear the Bears’ gamble is on someone who commands such enthusiasm about what he is capable of.
To that end, Solak believes Burden can be “terrifying” after the catch for the Bears.
“Burden was largely a screen-and-shot player to start the 2025 season, but he started to get more opportunities on crossers and underneath routes as coach Ben Johnson grew to trust him with the ball in his hands,” Solak wrote. “With DJ Moore gone and Rome Odunze working back from a foot injury, the door is wide open for Burden to grab more targets – targets designed especially for him as a terrifying yards-after-catch threat.”
Luther Burden III Needs ‘X Factor’ Caleb Williams to Deliver
For Burden to be the best YAC threat he can be, he needs Bears quarterback Caleb Williams to pick his game up.
Williams’ completion percentage has been the source of much consternation. He has acknowledged the need to improve, while also noting that some of it is the result of a combination of his looking for bigger plays while trying to avoid turnovers.
Taking what the defense gives him rather than hunting explosives could raise his percentage.
“For all his highlights last season, there is still plenty to iron out in Williams’ game, with accuracy being the most critical,” ESPN’s Seth Walder wrote on July 6, naming the QB as the “X factor” for the Bears. “Williams ranked last among QBR-qualifying quarterbacks in off-target rate and completion percentage over expected, per Next Gen Stats. If he can bring those numbers just to league average, that would result in a big step for him and the offense. But that’s a big ‘if.’”
Burden figures to be on the receiving end of a high number of those routes, particularly in comparison to Odunze, whose injury has left him navigating a “new normal” with his foot.
A hot start for Burden and Williams in training camp would be one of the most encouraging signs for the Bears, who will also once again lean on their tight ends, namely 2025 first-round pick Colston Loveland, in the passing game in 2026.
