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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JANUARY 18: Luther Burden III #10 of the Chicago Bears in action against the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Divisional Playoffs at Soldier Field on January 18, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
The Chicago Bears’ offense is going to look a lot different with DJ Moore being sent away to the Buffalo Bills, and the assumption is that 2025 second-round pick Luther Burden, not 2024 first-round pick Rome Odunze, is expected to take over as the team’s top wide receiver target.
Burden, 22, started to emerge as the team’s most dynamic and trusted wideout towards the end of his rookie year, where in the last eight games, he had the following metrics:
It’s no secret the Bears plan to up Burden’s usage in Year 2, and Yahoo Sports! Matt Harmon and 33rd Team’s Sam Monson broke down Burden’s outlook in 2026.
GettyGREEN BAY, WISCONSIN – DECEMBER 07: Luther Burden III #10 of the Chicago Bears reacts after a first down against the Green Bay Packers during the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field on December 07, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)
Monson started the conversation by talking about how Luther Burden ranked towards the top in several statistics and how he’s “one of those guys who visibly, immediately just moves differently than everybody else,” and Harmon added his thoughts.
“100% he’s got it, and he’s one of these guys, like I said with Jordyn Tyson, where it’s like once I learned the landing spot, I feel a lot better because for Luther Burden…when he went to Chicago, if this is gonna work somewhere, it’s gonna work there, and you can tell that they pushed him really hard, which is what he needed. He needed to be pushed.”
Harmon also touched on how the expectations aren’t high just for Burden, but for Odunze as well.
“I’m still really, really high on Rome Odunze. I know he had definitely fell off in the back half of the season after playing through a really bad injury, but I think those guys are going to be awesome, awesome tandem this year…and that offense, it just rules. It’s so good, so well-designed. I think it continues to go the right direction. I think that offense is gonna absolutely rip it up this year, Burden included. The fact that he’s somebody that, as you mentioned, with the ball in his hands, is special, and can also run routes and is learning those nuances as a zone-beater, that is a pretty enticing package of players.”
Matt Harmon breaks down Luther Burden’s outlook heading into Year 3 👀
“Those guys [Luther Burden and Rome Odunze] are going to be an awesome, awesome tandem this year… that offense just rules. It’s so well-designed, I think it continues to go in the right direction.”
The outside media hype is one thing, but hearing it from someone like Ben Johnson means a whole lot more.
“[Luther] is exactly what we thought we were getting out of the draft last year. This guy’s a dynamic playmaker; he’s got some of the best run-after-the-catch in the game right now. I really believe that. We gotta continue to get the ball in his hands as often as we can possibly can. What I’ve grown to love about him is this guy loves football. If you took football away from him, I don’t know what he would want to do with himself. All offseason he’s been lifting weights, him and Colston [Loveland] both with our strength staff. He’s really, really excited to get a full offseason going and look to develop a bigger route tree.”
Everyone’s excited for Burden to take another step in Year 2, and he’s making all the right moves to make sure that happens.
Isaac Zuniga is a sports reporter covering the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Chicago Bears and Las Vegas Raiders. More about Isaac Zuniga
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