Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson compared his young wide receiver, Luther Burden, to Amon-Ra St. Brown, one of the best pass-catchers in the league and a player Johnson coached with the Detroit Lions.
"St. Brown in Detroit, who I have a strong affinity for, he plays the game the same way," Johnson told Fox 32 Chicago's Cassie Carlson in an interview. "I feel that from Luther. I know he wasn't a full-time starter for us a year ago, but the snaps that he did have, he's got that competitive edge and desire to be great.
"It's carried over throughout the spring and summer as well. He's been a regular in the building; he's working with our strength staff. He wants to be the most conditioned player on the team. He wants to be one of the strongest receivers on the team and just continues to soak in all the knowledge."
Burden is entering his sophomore campaign after being drafted in the second round in 2025. He finished his rookie season hauling in 47 receptions on 60 targets for 652 yards and two touchdowns before adding six receptions for 66 yards in two playoff games.
The 22-year-old played only 39.8% of Chicago's offensive snaps in 2025 while running the seventh-most routes among all pass-catchers on the team, according to TruMedia. However, Burden made the most of his opportunities, ranking eighth among all wideouts in EPA per target (0.52). He also led the squad in receiving yards (481) from Weeks 10-18.
Burden's projected to play a larger role in the offense this season after the Bears traded DJ Moore to the Buffalo Bills. Johnson said Chicago has been deploying Burden in different ways this spring and summer.
"We're just looking to expand his route tree right now," Johnson said on the "Up & Adams" show Monday at training camp. "We're putting him all over the place. ... He's fearless whether he's running inside the numbers, and he's got deep ball ability as well."
The Bears play their first preseason contest against the Cleveland Browns on Aug. 15.
