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Matthew Schmidt is a sportswriter who covers NFL, MLB, NBA and college football and basketball. He has been writing professionally since 2011 and has also worked for On SI, Bleacher Report, FanRag Sports, ClutchPoints, NFLAnalysis.net and NBAAnalysis.net. He was born and raised in New Jersey and has a rather eclectic group of favorite teams: the Boston Celtics, New York Giants and Miami Marlins.
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The Chicago Bears definitely boast one of the most impressive sets of weapons in the NFL, and they added even more pieces this offseason.
The Bears targeted playmakers in each of the first two rounds of the draft back in April, selecting Michigan tight end Colston Loveland on Day 1 and then circling back around to take Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden III in the second round.
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Talk about a great way to supply Caleb Williams with appropriate talent.
Burden was considered a first-round talent heading into the 2024 college football season, but an underwhelming showing in his final NCAA campaign resulted in the speedster slipping. Chicago reaped the benefits of Burden’s slide and may have nabbed one of the draft’s biggest steals as a result.
That being said, Burden is expected to be the Bears’ No. 4 receiver behind D.J. Moore, Rome Odunze and Olamide Zaccheaus during his rookie year, so he may not get a ton of targets right off the bat.
However, Jacob Robinson and Mike Sando of The Athletic clearly feel otherwise, labeling Burden as their surprise fantasy breakout player in a set of predictions going into Week 1.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – AUGUST 17: Caleb Williams #18 of the Chicago Bears looks on during the NFL Preseason 2025 game between the Buffalo Bills and the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on August 17, 2025…
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – AUGUST 17: Caleb Williams #18 of the Chicago Bears looks on during the NFL Preseason 2025 game between the Buffalo Bills and the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on August 17, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images)
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“Ben Johnson’s scheme gives players opportunities to run with the ball, and no rookie receiver is better with it than Burden, a first-round talent who fell to the Bears at 39 due to subpar quarterback play at Missouri in 2024,” Robinson and Sando wrote. “An ideal fit in Chicago, Burden may start slow but could win your league in the second half of 2025.”
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Johnson will surely find ways to get the versatile Burden involved, but his playing time may ultimately hinge on how effective Zaccheaus is during the early stages of the campaign. The Bears’ veteran free-agent signing has developed a great rapport with Williams in training camp and preseason, which could spell bad news for Burden in Year 1.
Still, Johnson will probably work some nuance into Chicago’s offense, which could create some opportunities for Burden to shine in spite of being buried on the wide receiver depth chart for now.
For more on the Bears and NFL, head to Newsweek Sports.