Former Lions OC Is Frustrated With Bears Rookie Wide Receiver

Chicago Bears rookie wide receiver Luther Burden unfortunately suffered a soft tissue injury during rookie minicamp.

As a result, the second-round pick has also missed the start of Bears mandatory minicamp.

For a new offensive-minded head coach in Ben Johnson, challenges arise when a young player is not available for offseason workouts and practices.

Burden has not been able to develop chemistry with Caleb Williams and the time away has slowed his overall development.

Johnson addressed the impact of the former Missouri Tigers wideout missing his first mandatory minicamp.

"He misses a lot. Any time you're not out there, if you're in the training room when the rest of the guys are practicing, you're losing valuable time," said Johnson. "Valuable time with your coaches, valuable reps with your teammates, the ability to build the trust that we're talking about. It's not just the coaching staff having trust in you doing the right thing over and over, it's your teammates. They've got to see you do it, they've got to know that the guy right or left of them, that they're gonna do the right things and make plays when called upon."