If Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams was the biggest beneficiary of the team’s aggressive approach to their head coaching search and free agency, he can easily make the same claim following the first two days of the 2025 NFL Draft.
After his team selected Michigan Wolverines tight end Colston Loveland with the No. 10 overall pick, Williams watched as the Bears selected Luther Burden III 39th overall.
The QB reacted to Burden’s selection with one word on Instagram on April 25: “Mhmmm.”
Burden and Williams were both recruited by USC head coach Lincoln Riley, who held the same role at Oklahoma at the time, before the wideout changed his mind and went instead to Missouri.
Capable of playing all three receiver positions, Burden could be fast-tracked into a key role in the Bears’ offense.
Luther Burden III Shakes Up Bears’ WR Pecking Order
While he will have to come in and prove himself at this level, Burden’s role could be as large as WR3 from the outset. He is unlikely to usurp top option DJ Moore or 2024 first-round pick Rome Odunze.
However, Burden’s skill set allows the Bears to use all three receivers somewhat interchangeably.
Those after Odunze on the depth chart should be on higher alert.
That includes 2025 free agent signing Olamide Zaccheaus, who figures to operate as the third receiver until Burden gets up to speed. Names like John Jackson – Williams’ friend – Miles Boykin, Maurice Alexander, and Samori Toure are long shots for the 53-man roster.
Offseason signing Devin Duvernay is more of a return specialist than a receiver, and an All-Pro one at that. His spot is likely safe.
Burden’s addition could be the end of 2023 fourth-round pick Tyler Scott’s tenure, though.
Scott had trouble seeing the field in 2024. That was despite his deep speed being a potential asset for a Bears offense that needed them. Burden has greater positional versatility. He also flirted with WR1 projections during the draft process and was selected by current head coach Ben Johnson.
Bears Giving Caleb Williams Answers to Test
Johnson and the coaching staff cannot make the play for Williams, so the Bears are doing the next best thing. It is what they admittedly should have done to begin with, but they have remade the coaching staff, bolstered the offensive line, and added more weapons.
It is incumbent upon Williams to take advantage of all three items, but especially the latter two.
Williams should have better protection in 2025, particularly up the middle. And the edges should be more secure if left tackle Braxton Jones can stay healthy.
His plethora of playmakers serve the opposite purpose for opposing defenses, creating uncertainty as to whom the ball may find in the passing game. Loveland joins current TE1 Cole Kmet alongside Burden, Moore, and Odunze as the core of the team’s pass-catching corps.
With options like Zaccheaus and tight end Durham Smythe in reserve, the roster has improved.
Has Williams? That is a question only he can answer, and one the Bears surely want to resolve by the end of the 2025 season.