Ben Johnson didn’t come to Chicago just to run an offense — he came to tear it down and rebuild it into a machine that keeps defensive coordinators awake at night.
And lucky for Luther Burden III, he’s about to be the crown jewel of this operation.
Johnson’s resume is already ridiculous. In Detroit, he took a team that had been allergic to the end zone and made them the No. 1 scoring offense in 2024, averaging 33.2 points per game. He didn’t do it with overwhelming talent — he did it with a master plan built on formation manipulation, calculated deception, and precise timing. Think less “run-of-the-mill OC” and more “NFL chess grandmaster.”
Now he’s got Burden, who combines elite yards-after-catch ability, positional flexibility, and slot dominance. That’s like handing a samurai a lightsaber.
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Johnson’s Chessmaster Approach
In Detroit, Johnson’s offense revolved around three pillars — each tailor-made for Burden’s skill set:
1. Formation-Based Deception
Johnson’s love for 12 personnel (1 RB, 2 TE) was borderline obsessive. He used it on 33% of snaps — well above the league average — but passed out of it on nearly half of those plays. Defenses load the box expecting the run, only for Johnson to punish them with intermediate and deep routes. Putting Burden in the slot against a linebacker in this setup? That’s not just a mismatch — it’s grand larceny.
The Bunch Right formation is a prime example of Johnson’s compressed alignment philosophy. The tight ends and slot receiver are aligned close together, creating natural pick opportunities and forcing defenders into awkward coverage decisions. From here, Burden can use coordinated releases with his teammates, stem his routes to manipulate leverage, and incorporate pre-snap motion to diagnose coverage before the ball is even snapped.
Key Elements:
- Compressed spacing creates built-in traffic for defenders, leading to coverage confusion
- Multiple route combinations from the same pre-snap picture keep defenses guessing
- Motion opportunities provide easy coverage reads and open up favorable matchups
2. Motion and Misdirection
His pre-snap motion isn’t just for show — it’s a precision instrument for diagnosing coverage, engineering natural pick routes, and springing his playmakers into open space. It’s the same approach that turned Amon-Ra St. Brown into a Pro Bowl weapon, and with Burden’s comparable skill set plus superior burst and agility, the upside is even greater.
This motion concept diagram captures how Johnson uses pre-snap movement to tilt the field in his favor. Burden’s versatility means he can shift from slot to outside seamlessly, forcing defenses to communicate and adjust while still hitting his routes on time and within the structure of the play.
3. Layered Play Calling
Johnson plays the long game. He’ll run a certain look early to set a defensive tendency, then dismantle that tendency later with a counter concept. With Burden able to line up in the backfield, slot, or wide, the possibilities are endless.
The Luther Burden Advantage
At Missouri, Burden operated out of the slot on 85.3% of his snaps in 2024. He averaged 7.4 YAC per reception and forced 30 missed tackles — more than any other FBS receiver. He’s versatile enough to line up in bunch, motion across the formation, or even take direct handoffs.
- Versatility – He’s done it all: backfield snaps, punt returns, blocking in heavy sets.
- Gadget Weapon – Johnson loves gadget plays, from offensive linemen catching TDs to fake fumbles. Burden’s special teams background makes him a perfect candidate for trickery.
- Bigger, Faster, Stronger – Compared to St. Brown, Burden’s size-speed combo means more explosive plays and more ways to weaponize him.
How Johnson Will Deploy Burden
12 Personnel Bunch Concepts
Johnson aligns Burden tight with Cole Kmet and Colston Loveland, creating a compressed formation that forces predictable defensive spacing. From there, Burden motions out to diagnose coverage, giving Caleb Williams a pre-snap tell and instantly tipping whether it’s man or zone. Once identified, Johnson loves to call his signature “Dagger” concept — TE clears vertically to pull the safety, while Burden attacks the dig route underneath at a precise 12–14 yard depth. In Detroit, this set-up produced a near-90% catch rate for St. Brown; with Burden’s burst and YAC skills, those routine completions can explode into chunk plays.
Johnson can also manipulate defensive keys by running the same formation multiple times in a drive, mixing in wheel routes, option routes, and quick screens from the identical pre-snap picture. This forces defenses into hesitation, and hesitation is death against a receiver who forced 30 missed tackles last season. The Dagger Concept itself is tailor-made for Burden’s ability to win in traffic and separate out of breaks, making it not just a bread-and-butter call, but a consistent drive-sustainer and field-flipper.
Empty Formation RPOs
Empty sets aren’t just pass formations in Johnson’s playbook — they’re opportunities to stress a defense in multiple ways at once. Burden lines up in the slot with Williams keying the linebacker, reading his first step like a poker tell. If the LB jumps Burden’s route, Williams keeps the ball on a designed QB run. If the LB stays home, Burden catches it in stride with space to attack. Johnson layers the look by shifting from empty to bunch post-snap, forcing defenders to diagnose two concepts in rapid succession — a mental tax that often leads to blown assignments.
This Inside Zone Slants RPO is a perfect example of Johnson’s approach to simplifying quarterback reads without making the play predictable. Williams will have the option to hand off or hit Burden on a quick slant depending on that linebacker’s reaction. It’s a read that develops instantly, rewarding decisiveness and punishing hesitation. Johnson leaned on these designs with Jared Goff in Detroit to rack up easy completions and keep drives on schedule — now, with Williams’ mobility and Burden’s burst, the ceiling for these plays is even higher.
Motion-Heavy Screen Game
Johnson’s screen designs marry deception with timing, creating plays that feel like traps for overaggressive defenses. He’ll motion Burden across the formation to sell jet sweep or outside zone, baiting defenders to flow one way before slipping him the ball behind a convoy of blockers going the other direction. In Detroit, St. Brown racked up 441 yards on slot screens in 2024, but with Burden’s superior tackle-breaking ability, those numbers could be shattered in Year 1. Johnson will also adjust the depth, angle, and timing of these screens to punish corners who try to jump routes or safeties who overcommit.
Johnson’s motion screen concepts highlight his mastery of pre-snap movement as a setup for explosive YAC opportunities. Burden’s 30 forced missed tackles in 2024 show why he’s perfect for these manufactured touches. The motion doesn’t just disguise the play — it actively manipulates the defense, selling run action and freezing pursuit before the ball ever hits Burden’s hands.
Red Zone Gadget Packages
Inside the 20, Johnson’s creativity goes into overdrive. Burden could be featured on reverses, jet sweeps, or even designed double passes, keeping defenses in constant conflict. His punt return vision and contact balance make him lethal in tight spaces, and his sturdy frame lets him absorb the hits that come with goal-line work. Johnson may also use Burden as a high-impact decoy, drawing coverage away to open shovel passes or quick hitters for other targets.
Johnson’s red zone creativity isn’t just flash — it’s calculated. His shovel pass concepts and misdirection plays are built to exploit Burden’s open-field vision, quick reaction time, and 206-pound build. The combination of deceptive play design and Burden’s physicality makes him perfect for close-quarters situations where yards are scarce and every touch matters.
Formation-Specific Usage
- Ace (2×2) – Jet sweeps, quick slants, double moves.
The 2×2 Pistol Doubles formation is one of Johnson’s foundational packages for showcasing Burden’s versatility. With two receivers to each side in a balanced pistol alignment, the offense can mask intentions while keeping every concept in the playbook available. From this look, Burden can motion across the formation, shift into the backfield, or widen outside without tipping whether the play is run or pass. That ability to morph his role pre-snap allows Johnson to disguise concepts, dictate matchups, and stress defenders’ communication. In Detroit, this same flexibility was a major factor in St. Brown’s production — and with Burden’s added size, burst, and YAC skills, the formation’s potential impact is even greater.
- 3×1 Cluster – Two-way go’s, man-zone identification.
These 3×1 alignment diagrams illustrate one of Johnson’s most reliable tools for manufacturing coverage stress. By stacking three receivers to one side, he forces the defense to declare its coverage shell and reveal matchups before the snap. From the cluster, Burden can run a variety of routes — quick outs, seams, option routes, or deep overs — depending on the coverage read. Johnson will frequently layer in pre-snap motion from this look to confirm whether the defense is in man or zone, and that information allows him to dial up the exact route combination to exploit leverage. This alignment also creates natural space on the back side for isolation plays, meaning Burden’s presence on the strong side not only threatens his own matchup but manipulates defensive resources across the field.
- Jumbo Sets – Decoy in heavy personnel, play-action shots.
Don’t overlook Johnson’s use of heavy personnel packages, which often fly under the radar but play a huge role in his offensive deception. In these jumbo formations — loaded with extra tight ends and an emphasis on run looks — Burden becomes a chess piece that tilts the board. Johnson can align him tight to the formation as a crack blocker or motion him into the backfield to influence linebacker fits. Even without touching the ball, Burden’s presence keeps defenses from committing fully to the run, opening up space for explosive play-action shots downfield. When Johnson does choose to get him the ball in these sets, it’s often after lulling defenders into thinking it’s a power run, only to spring a seam route, crossing pattern, or jet sweep for a chunk gain. This dual-threat role — part decoy, part dagger — makes heavy personnel a far more dangerous package than its name suggests.
The Caleb Williams Factor
Johnson made Jared Goff’s life easier by creating clear pre-snap reads, simplifying his decision-making and allowing him to play on time. For Caleb Williams, those same tools will be a developmental accelerator. Johnson will use motion, formation shifts, and route distribution to give Williams early answers:
- Zone – Burden drifts into the soft spots between linebackers and safeties, presenting an easy, high-percentage throw.
- Man – Burden leverages his quickness and physicality to win early, giving Williams an immediate outlet against pressure.
By marrying defined timing concepts with Burden’s versatility, Johnson ensures Williams rarely has to hold the ball and guess. The QB can trust his reads, anticipate throwing windows, and build chemistry with Burden through repeated reps. Over time, this approach won’t just protect Williams — it will make the passing game frighteningly efficient.
Projected 2025 Stat Line
- Receptions: 90–110
- Targets: 130–150
- Catch Rate: 65–70%
- Explosive Plays: 15–20 of 20+ yards
- TDs: 8–12
- Rushing Attempts: 8–12
Final Verdict
Johnson’s system doesn’t just use talented players — it maximizes them. He proved with Amon-Ra St. Brown that a receiver can become the ultimate chess piece when deployed with precision and creativity. That same philosophy — pushing limits — will be amplified with Burden, who brings more size, more burst, and more positional flexibility.
Johnson’s genius is in adaptation. He’s not tied to a rigid playbook, and he’ll “rip this thing down to the studs” to build around his strengths. Burden’s YAC dominance, gadget ability, and versatility mean Johnson can threaten every blade of grass without tipping his hand. Defensive coordinators will spend their week guessing which version of Burden they’ll get — slot assassin, motion ghost, or red zone hammer — and still guess wrong on Sunday.
