The Chicago Bears could be without two of their top four wide receivers because of injuries when they hit the road to take on the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 9.
During Monday’s new conference, Bears head coach Ben Johnson provided updates on second-round rookie wide receiver Luther Burden III and veteran Olamide Zaccheaus after each had exited early from Week 8’s loss to the Baltimore Ravens with an injury.
Burden is dealing with a concussion that knocked him out of Sunday’s game in the third quarter and must now clear the league’s five-step protocol before he can return to the lineup. Meanwhile, Zaccheaus is “day-to-day” with a knee injury entering the week.
The Bears will expectedly give each player the week to see how he responds in practice before making any final decisions about availability against the Bengals, but the door is open for them to head into Sunday’s matchup shorthanded at the receiver position.
In the event one or both cannot play, the Bears could turn to veteran Devin Duvernay or undrafted rookie Jahdae Walker to pick up the slack in the rotation behind starters D.J. Moore — who entered Week 8 without his own injury issue — and Rome Odunze.
The Bears (4-3) will kick off against the Bengals (3-5) at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Bears Have Limited Luther Burden’s Usage in 2025
The Bears would suffer a blow to their receiving depth if Burden had to miss time due to his concussion, but they have kept his usage relatively limited in their first seven games — to the point where the fans are asking, “Why?”
Despite selecting Burden at No. 39 overall, the Bears have not made a concerted effort to get him regularly involved in their offense through the first half of the 2025 season. While they have thrown at least one pass his direction in every game, he has also only seen more than two targets just twice — including in Week 3 when he put up 101 yards.
More frustrating is that the Bears have given preference to Zaccheaus over Burden for a high-volume role behind Moore and Odunze. Zaccheaus has seen more than twice as many targets (38) as Burden (15) in seven games, but has just 14 more receiving yards.
In fairness to Zaccheaus, he has made several critical catches for the Bears this season, with seven of his 25 receptions going for first-downs. Even still, with what Burden has shown in his limited reps, there is a good case for their targets to start evening out.
Practice-Squad WRs Could Help Out Against Bengals
If the Bears find themselves without either Burden or Zaccheaus at the end of the week, don’t be surprised if they promote more help from their practice squad for Sunday.
The Bears have veteran Miles Boykin, Maurice Alexander and rookie JP Richardson on their practice squad to consider elevating to the game-day roster against the Bengals. While the Bears are far more likely to trust Duvernay and Walker with the rotational snaps on offense, calling up another pair of hands can only help them on Sunday.
Boykin is the most experienced of the Bears’ three practice-squad receivers with 38 career receptions for 498 yards and seven touchdowns, but Alexander stood out for them in camp and seemed like the last man out at the position during roster cuts.
The Bears won’t announce their practice-squad elevations — if they make any — until Saturday, one day after they make injury designations in their final injury report.
Bears Could Be Without 2 Wide Receivers Against Bengals in Week 9