Luther Burden

Bears coach Ben Johnson said Luther Burden missed Wednesday’s practice with a soft tissue injury.

Johnson didn’t give a timeline for his return, only saying “it remains to be seen” when Burden will be back. Burden landed on the ball during a practice at the end of rookie minicamp and was checked out by trainers to close the session. The current soft tissue injury is presumably related to that incident. While it’s early in the summer and we fully expect Burden to be back sooner rather than later, it’s not a great start to the offseason for the rookie. Burden is entering a crowded receiver room with a quarterback learning his second offense in as many seasons. Even OTA reps are valuable for the newcomer. Burden will likely open the year as the Bears’ WR3, making him a bet on late-season production for fantasy purposes.