Luther Burden fell to the 2nd round of the 2025 draft. Finding reasons for that varied. Here was a young wide receiver being mentioned in the same breath as Ja’Marr Chase going into the 2024 season at Missouri. An unfortunate down year statistically, which wasn’t entirely his fault, led to his stock dipping. There were also whispers about attitude problems and his lack of desire to practice. Whatever the primary reasons were, Burden fell to 39th overall, where the Chicago Bears scooped him up.

It is already becoming apparent that other teams might’ve made a grievous error by letting that happen. After an extended stint out of practice with a hamstring issue, Burden has been a legitimate force throughout Bears camp. The Miami Dolphins had problems dealing with him in joint practice last week. Then he made two key catches in the preseason game to set up two scoring opportunities. By the sound of things, the mighty Buffalo Bills didn’t have many answers for him either. Several onlookers noted how frequently the receiver stood out.

While primarily playing with the second team, Luther Burden III showed why the Bears made him the No. 39 pick in April.

Burden, who stands 6′ 0″ and 210 pounds, was able to shake free on a few in-breaking routes at intermediate depth in team periods, while also making contested catches when he failed to gain separation. On one of the final plays of practice in a team drill, Burden snagged the ball between two Buffalo defensive backs to a roar of the crowd before getting up and exalting.

Luther Burden may finally exorcise some demons for the Bears.

They’ve had a run of bad luck drafting wide receivers in recent years. David Terrell, Mark Bradley, Kevin White, and Anthony Miller were all taken in the 1st or 2nd rounds since 2000. All were busts. The only bright spot was Alshon Jeffery, and even that ended poorly due to contract issues. Then you had the Velus Jones pick in 2022 and the trade for Chase Claypool later that same year. GM Ryan Poles had plenty of people questioning his ability to evaluate the position. It already looks like Rome Odunze is on the cusp of a breakout campaign this year with his stellar camp. Now you have Luther Burden ascending far more rapidly than anybody expected. If those two carry what they’ve done this month into the regular season, the Bears will be a team nobody wants to play.

The Chicago Bears hosted the Buffalo Bills for a joint practice on Friday. Before the session, Bears head coach Ben Johnson spoke with the media and was asked about the left tackle competition. He said the situation is still unclear and hopes to get clarity over the next few weeks. Johnson added that the decision could go down to the wire, as no player has separated himself so far.

The four-man race currently includes Braxton Jones, Ozzy Trapilo, Kiran Amegadjie, and Theo Benedet. Benedet was added as a dark horse, with Johnson noting that people may be overlooking him. He received some first-team reps at left tackle during the practice, but overall, none of the candidates performed particularly well against the Bills.

This is a significant concern, as the Bears are only weeks away from Monday Night Football against the Vikings, who feature a very strong defense. While the team revamped its offensive line this offseason—creating what looks like a top-10 unit on paper—this recent development raises red flags. The coaching staff openly admitting that no one has distinguished themselves highlights the urgency for a resolution. The offense has struggled with false starts, so it’s important to get the first-team offensive line locked in and clean up pre-snap penalties.

Sunday night’s preseason game will give them a chance to get some real-game snaps together, but it’s still unclear who will start at left tackle against the Bills.

Everybody has relished the opportunity to dunk on Caleb Williams over the past week. It started when he had an uneven joint practice against the Miami Dolphins last week. The fact that he then didn’t suit up for the preseason opener didn’t help. Struggling in Monday’s practice only seemed to fan the flames. People started wondering if Williams wasn’t grasping the new offense. Maybe he isn’t cut out for big-boy football. As has become the case since last year, the Chicago Bears quarterback seemed to feed off the negativity.

The next two practices were some of his best, showing more decisiveness and efficiency. Mistakes tapered off, and he seemed to have found growing comfort with his receivers. The timing felt good as the Buffalo Bills came to town, setting the stage for the second joint practice of the month. This one felt much more important. Buffalo was in the AFC championship a few months ago. They’re considered one of the best teams in the league. This was his first opportunity if Williams wanted to prove something had changed.

By all accounts, he did just that.

Caleb Williams deserves time and patience.

It feels like people are being more than a little unfair to the young quarterback. He stepped into a brutal situation last year with a porous offensive line and one of the worst coaching staffs in the NFL. Yet he somehow overcame all of that to post respectable numbers. He had the fifth-most efficient season in franchise history for a quarterback with at least 400 passes. Sure, it wasn’t always perfect. It got ugly at times. That shouldn’t dismiss the impressive things he did. Now he has the coaching and protection any quarterback requires for success. Yet people don’t seem interested in giving him the necessary time to develop his game. That is not practical. This young man is too talented to dismiss as a lost cause before his second season even begins. This latest practice is proof of why.

D.J. Moore has done a lot in the NFL. For seven years, he’s been one of the most successful receivers statistically. Every top 10 list usually features him somewhere. This has led to a perception that Moore carries himself as somebody with little left to prove. He knows he’s good. What other people think doesn’t matter. Well, new wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle El disabused him of that mindset from the moment he arrived. He was asked how he’s gone about motivating an accomplished player like Moore. Randle El chose to hit the veteran where it hurts.

Start by consistently making the playoffs and playing at a high level. Use his knowledge as a top receiver to show others on the roster how it’s done. Don’t just be good at catching passes. Be a leader.

There is no doubt that such comments had to sting. For all Moore’s success individually, he hasn’t participated in a single playoff game in his career. In fact, he’s never been on a team with a winning record. That isn’t entirely his fault, but it is a stigma he can’t escape until something changes.

Antwaan Randle El again shows he’s willing to tell the truth.

That is something many coaches avoid, at least when it comes with the risk of upsetting players. Operating that way is ill-advised. If you’re unwilling to tell a guy what he needs to hear and only focus on what he wants to hear, that player will never reach his full potential. Antwaan Randle El learned in his days as a player that you can’t do that. Not if you want to be a champion. He learned that lesson in Pittsburgh with Bill Cowher and again in Washington with Joe Gibbs. Those two were Hall of Famers for a reason. Their ways of motivating players didn’t always involve pats on the shoulder pads. They didn’t shy away from speaking the truth. Moore is a terrific receiver, but there is still so much room for him to grow. Randle El’s job is to get him there.

The offense might be getting most of the attention in training camp, but not enough people talk about what is happening to the Chicago Bears’ defense. The organization has run variations of the classic 4-3 scheme for years, be it a Cover 2 or Tampa-2 as Lovie Smith and Matt Eberflus ran. There was a change from 2015 through 2021, which became a 3-4, but changed back in 2022. The initial assumption was that the new defensive coordinator, Dennis Allen, would maintain a similar system. It is fast becoming clear that is so far away from the truth.

Allen is anything but conventional. Over the years, he’s earned a reputation for being far more exotic than your average coordinator. While he may run a large part of his scheme from a 4-3 alignment, he has a tendency to shift things around based on personnel and situation. If you think he will play it normally this season, then you’re in for a rude awakening. According to Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune, Allen has something special planned for this season that Chicago hasn’t really seen in a long time.

Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen isn’t afraid to mix things up, and his push to utilize five-man fronts on occasion will help the Bears remain unpredictable and tough to deal with. Defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr. is on board. “It’s one-on-one,” Dexter said. “Anytime you have a group of five good rushers against five offensive linemen, I like our odds with the type of players we have in our room. I think it’s great.”

Dennis Allen continues to demonstrate intelligence and common sense.

Most defenses deploy either a four-man front or a three-man front. You usually never see a five-man front unless it’s in college. What are the benefits of this? The simplest answer is that five-man fronts make it easier to stop the run. You have more mass along the line of scrimmage, and gap control is less challenging. It is also known for great flexibility, adapting to various offensive formations. One must not forget the Bears share a division with two of the best rushing offenses in the NFL. Detroit was 3rd last year, and Green Bay was 6th. That doesn’t include Baltimore (1st), Philadelphia (2nd), and Washington (4th), who are all on the schedule this season. Dennis Allen understands the daunting task in front of the Bears. Pass rush concerns won’t matter if they can’t stop the run. If sheer personnel won’t do it, it must be with formations.