Bears wide receiver Luther Burden III is expected to miss about a month due to the groin injury he suffered in practice on Saturday, Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports reported on Sunday. The hope within the organization, according to Zenitz, is that Burden will be ready for the Bears’ Week 1 matchup against the Panthers on Sep. 13.
A previous report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport indicated that Burden would miss time, though no clear timetable was given. In this anticipated span, Burden would miss the entirety of the preseason, as well as the rest of training camp. That said, it doesn’t appear that he would miss much of the regular season due to the injury, if he misses any time at all.
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Burden, 22, put together an impressive rookie campaign in 2025. The second-round pick out of Missouri finished the year with 47 catches for 652 yards and two touchdowns. He was particularly efficient in the second half of the season; his 17-game pace from Week 10 onwards would have seen him surpass 1,000 receiving yards. Per Pro Football Network, he led the NFL with 4.6 yards of separation per catch, and he also tied for the second-most yards after catch per reception among wide receivers with 7.1.
Upon hearing the news that Burden limped away from practice on Saturday, there was naturally concern about the health of one of the Bears’ top young players. However, it appears as though the groin injury will have little to no effect on his availability for the regular season. Given the alternative, that’s not a terrible outcome.
