Bears get deflating Luther Burden III injury timeline

The Chicago Bears were hit with a brutal preseason reality check this weekend. Wide receiver Luther Burden III suffered a groin injury during Saturday’s training camp practice, and the timeline for his return is looking like a major buzzkill for the offense.

According to Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports, Burden is currently expected to miss about a month of action. However, the silver lining is that the organization remains highly hopeful the dynamic playmaker will be fully healed and available when Chicago officially opens the regular season against the Carolina Panthers.

The frustrating injury went down during one-on-one red-zone drills when Burden got tangled up with cornerback Tyrique Stevenson while trying to reel in a pass from quarterback Caleb Williams. Stevenson also appeared banged up on the rep but ultimately managed to finish practice. Meanwhile, Burden gingerly limped his way toward the locker room under his own power and did not return to the field.

Losing the second-year wideout for the entirety of the preseason is a tough pill to swallow for head coach Ben Johnson and this developing offensive unit. Burden is coming off a solid rookie campaign where he flashed serious upside, hauling in 47 receptions for 652 receiving yards and two touchdowns. He was fully expected to build on that foundation and take a significant leap in his sophomore season alongside fellow receiver Rome Odunze.

Instead, he will have to spend the rest of training camp focused entirely on rehab. If this groin issue lingers into the regular season, the Bears will likely need to lean much heavier on veteran Kalif Raymond and rookie Zavion Thomas to fill the void.

For now, Bears fans will have to cross their fingers and hope this timeline holds true. The clock is officially ticking toward that Week 1 showdown with the Panthers, and Chicago desperately needs all of its offensive weapons fully healthy to hit the ground running.