Chicago Bears announce exciting Luther Burden injury update

Imagn Images

Chicago Bears announce exciting Luther Burden injury update

Originally posted on ChiCitySports | By Robin Adams | Last updated Aug 10, 2026 12:10 PM ET

Over the course of the 2026 NFL off-season, the Chicago Bears made some pretty significant changes on offense. Last season, their young core of pass catchers received the majority of targets from quarterback Caleb Williams. As a result, Chicago thought it best to trade veteran wide receiver DJ Moore.

With Moore no longer on the team, young players like Luther Burden are expected to have bigger roles in the passing game. Unfortunately, many of the Bears young wide receivers have been dealing with injuries throughout the off-season and training camp.

Burden has been among those with a significant injury.

Luther Burden should be back for the Chicago Bears by Week One

Dec 28, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; Chicago Bears wide receiver Luther Burden III (10) runs against the San Francisco 49ers in the second half at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

With Moore gone, it was widely believed that Burden, in his second NFL season, would be Chicago’s number one wide receiver. As a rookie in 2025, he had 47 receptions for 652 yards and two touchdowns.

His performance, of course, gave the Bears brass confidence in using him as wide receiver one going forward. Those plans, though, seemed to hit a snag last week when Burden went down with a groin injury. At the time, Chicago did not know how long their young pass catcher would be out.

On Monday morning, the team announced an exciting update on his return timeline:

Chicago WR Luther Burden III is expected to miss the preseason due to the strained groin injury he suffered Saturday, but the Bears believe he should be back for the team’s regular-season opener vs. the Panthers, per sources. pic.twitter.com/o0w5V4oA8u

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 10, 2026

As can be seen in the post above, Burden is not going to play in any of the Bears’ three preseason games. However, they expect him to be healthy for their first game of the NFL regular season.

This is great news for Chicago, obviously, as he is without question one of their two best wide receivers. Last year, he ranked fifth on the team in targets, third in receptions, and fourth in receiving yards.

This article first appeared on ChiCitySports and was syndicated with permission.

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