Nobody was having a better training camp in the Chicago Bears‘ wide receiver room than Luther Burden. He was running crisp routes and beating defenders almost at will. The second-year player looked like a budding star. Then a collision with Tyrique Stevenson sent him limping out of practice on Saturday. Fans were left wondering how bad it would be. Ian Rapoport provided the answer. Burden suffered a strained groin from the incident, meaning he is likely to miss some time.
Typically, groin injuries can last anywhere from 1 to 3 weeks, depending on the severity of the strain. If it’s a tear? We’re talking up to four months.
Given how soft tissue problems bedeviled the Bears last season, and how important Burden is, they aren’t likely to take any chances. It wouldn’t be shocking if they pretty much put him on ice until the season opener next month. That gives him a full month to recover and minimize the risk of aggravating the injury. All one can do is hope the setback is minor and the team wants to be cautious.
Luther Burden being out just sucks for him.
The guy was having a tremendous camp. Everything head coach Ben Johnson said about him being ready to ascend looked true. You can’t help but wonder how this setback will impact his progress. Missing that much time can cause a player’s edge to dull. He may return rusty and need time to regain steam. Lack of practice often does that. We saw it last year with Jaylon Johnson. He never really looked like himself upon returning from his groin issue, though that one was considerably worse than the one Burden is described to have.
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Video of the incident shows Stevenson trying to jump to block a pass from Caleb Williams to Luther Burden in the end zone. The cornerback landed hard on the turf and seemed to catch part of the receiver’s left leg. You quickly see Burden start to favor the groin area right as the video ends. This is one of those moments that was unavoidable. It was two players trying to make a play and they got tangled up. Stevenson also briefly left the field with an injury of his own before returning later.
Burden’s exit creates a big opportunity.
With him out, others on the depth chart are about to get more snaps in practice. We already know Rome Odunze and Kalif Raymond will maintain their current spots. The interesting question is who will step up to fill that void Burden leaves behind. Right now, there are two names positioned to take advantage. One is Jahdae Walker, the former undrafted free agent-turned-hero from last season. The other is 3rd round pick Zavion Thomas, who Ben Johnson seems pretty excited about.
You also can’t ignore veteran Scotty Miller and surprising camp standout Kaden Davis, who’s been making some plays over the past few days. All of them will be getting more work. Coaches have said they want somebody to seize the moment and show they will not be ignored. Depending on how it goes, you could see a slight alteration to the target distribution once Burden returns.
