LAKE FOREST, Ill \u2014 Luther Burden III was the topic of conversation Thursday at Halas Hall for the Chicago Bears\u2019 first organized team activities open to media.<\/p>\n
Well, to everyone besides Burden.<\/p>\n
Coach Ben Johnson delivered the quote of the afternoon when asked about the wide receiver\u2019s Year 2 outlook.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m buying Luther Burden stock right now,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cJust how he\u2019s approached his offseason, it\u2019s been electric.\u201d<\/p>\n
Running back D\u2019Andre Swift nodded in agreement when he heard about his coach\u2019s remarks.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, he better,\u201d Swift said. \u201cGot a young man that\u2019s hungry, that knows his ability, is confident.\u201d<\/p>\n
So, what has Burden done to catch the attention of his second-year head coach?<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing,\u201d Burden said, plainly. \u201cI just come to work every day and do my job to the best of my ability. And I\u2019ll leave the rest to everybody else.\u201d<\/p>\n
For all the hype around his improvement \u2014 albeit three months out from the regular season \u2014 Burden kept things matter-of-fact after practice. The 2025 second-round pick out of Missouri showed a steady rise in his rookie season that built to a crescendo in the final two months. Burden recorded more than half of his 752 scrimmage yards in the final six games of the season (399). In a down-to-the-wire December loss to the San Francisco 49ers, he hit a career-high 138 yards with a touchdown.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we drafted him, we saw an explosive athlete who was really dangerous with the ball in his hands. The question was how can we get it in his hands?\u201d Johnson said. \u201cThe easy things to do are screens or short throws, but I think there\u2019s a lot more to his game that we\u2019ve worked on. He\u2019s been really receptive to how we can get that done. He ran a route (Wednesday). It was the first time he had run that route, and he ran it as well as I\u2019ve been around, so things like that really get you excited as a coach.\u201d<\/p>\n
This offseason, Burden said he\u2019s been in the gym, focusing on getting bigger, faster and stronger. He\u2019d become more familiar with the playbook, aided by a full year working with Johnson and quarterback Caleb Williams.<\/p>\n
\u201cLess thinking, more playing, more explosive plays, more excitement,\u201d Burden said. \u201cThat\u2019s what I\u2019m bringing.\u201d<\/p>\n