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The Chicago Bears are beginning their 2025 training camp without Luther Burden III, who remains sidelined with an unspecified soft tissue injury. While Burden has yet to practice since participating in minicamp, head coach Ben Johnson believes he will be back soon.
Johnson admitted that the rookie's injury has “lingered longer” than they expected, but the team still views him as “day-to-day.” Although he did not speak with much optimism in his voice, Johnson's statement suggests that the Bears are evaluating Burden each morning.
“We were very hopeful that he'd be able to go day one, but the soft tissue that he was dealing with in the springtime lingered a little bit longer than we wanted,” Johnson said in his Thursday morning training camp press conference. “So really, it's day-to-day with him. Hopefully, we'll get him out there fairly soon.”
Coach Johnson is speaking with the media https://t.co/DyfKRZVnDd
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) July 24, 2025
Johnson revealed in the same statement that rookie defensive lineman Shemar Turner is also questionable after suffering an ankle injury on Wednesday, while cornerback Zah Frazier was absent due to personal reasons.
Burden was present at training camp, but did not do much more than watch from the sidelines. He returned to practice less than one week after signing a fully guaranteed, $10.9 million rookie contract on July 18.
Bears need Luther Burden III back in training camp
Although his injury is putting a wrench in the plans, the Bears drafted Burden intending to start him in Week 1. Burden's explosiveness downfield and with the ball in his hands ideally adds an element to the offense that Caleb Williams did not have in 2024.
Burden still has the talent to be a day-one starter, but rookies who miss training camp have historically struggled early in their careers. If he is unable to get fully up to speed in time, Chicago has veterans Devin Duvernay and Olamide Zaccheaus to potentially fill his role in the slot.
While Burden's injury is concerning, the Bears seemingly have bigger issues to address early on. Johnson reportedly pulled the entire first-team offense early in practice after becoming frustrated with their inability to execute. Despite reports that Johnson and Williams have meshed well over the summer, there still appears to be some disconnect as the preseason quickly approaches.
