Chicago Bears fans don’t have to worry about wide receiver Luther Burden when it comes to his work ethic.
“I was just trying to get bigger, faster, stronger, get more familiar with the playbook, make sure I come in comfortable, so I can play faster,” Burden said this offseason.
“I love football to death. It’s my life.”
Well, ESPN’s Peter Schrager and former Patriots All-Pro safety Jason McCourty had some words to say regarding Burden.
Peter Schrager, Jason McCourty Send Blunt Message on Bears WR Luther Burden
Speaking on The Schrager Hour, Peter gave his pick for one breakout player in 2026 — Luther Burden.
“And this is an interesting one because Rome Odunze was a top ten pick, and Rome Odunze is joined by Colston Loveland, who’s also a top ten pick, and you’re like, ‘It should be one of those guys.’ But I liked the way they used Burden last year down the stretch. With DJ Moore being gone, that’s more Luther Burden than Colston Loveland or Rome Odunze in that offense. And Caleb and him had something there, and I don’t know what it was.”
McCourty chimed in, adding, “Well one, his head coach Ben Johnson has been talking glowingly about him this offseason. To me he has some of that ‘it’ factor when it comes to ability on the field, but also attitude off the field. He just comes across as a guy that believes he is that dude and he should be a No. 1 guy and you need to have some of that hunger in you as a wide receiver. For me, watching him last year, you saw glimpses of the speed. You saw him even blocking in the run game with tenacity.
That, to me, is a special traits that for the guys that are on the offensive side of the ball when you see a player playing that hard at whatever he does, you want to see him excel more. And I think the relationship that you talked about with the quarterback, Caleb Williams, means a ton. Somebody that you can trust. Somebody inside in that slot position, that on third down you can get the ball to him and know that he’s going to come away and make a play for you. Those are some of the things that I felt like we saw from Luther Burden in Year 1.”
According to ESPN’s Tyler Fulghum, had Burden reached qualifying thresholds, he would have ranked third among ALL wideouts in yards per route run (2.92), which is only behind Puka Nacua and reigning Offensive Player of the Year Jaxson Smith-Njigba.
Burden is already showing that he can be in the upper echelons of wide receivers in the NFL.
ESPN’s Ben Solak’s Take on Burden
The praise doesn’t stop there either. ESPN’s Ben Solak picked Burden as the Bears’ breakout candidate heading into 2026, writing, “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.
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. The sky is the limit here.”
Personally, Burden will emerge as the team’s No. 1 option at wide receiver, cementing himself as one of the league’s best in just his sophomore season. The combination of work ethic, athleticism, and talent is hard to beat.
“I’m just locked in every single day,” Burden said. “Come here, ready to work, ready to get better, ready to get coached up, ready to win games.”
Peter Schrager, Jason McCourty Send Blunt Message on Bears WR Luther Burden