Bears Lose Two Receivers to Injury in Back-to-Back Practices as Camp Attrition Piles Up

Ben Johnson wanted a physical training camp. He’s getting one, and it’s starting to cost him bodies at a position the Bears can least afford to thin out right now.

Chicago lost two wide receivers to injury in back-to-back practices this weekend. Luther Burden III went down Saturday after tangling with cornerback Tyrique Stevenson in a one-on-one rep, and rookie Zavion Thomas left Sunday’s session grabbing his knee, according to CHGO Bears reporter Adam Hoge, who posted on X that Thomas “briefly grabbed his knee and then walked off with a slight limp” after going down during 7-on-7 work.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Burden’s injury is a groin strain and that the Bears expect him to “miss a little bit of time,” not a long-term absence, according to Sports Mockery. Thomas’s situation is murkier. The Bears haven’t put a name on his injury yet, and a knee issue for a rookie carries more uncertainty than a groin strain for a returning starter.

Why this hits differently than a normal camp bump

Any team loses bodies in August. What makes this one worth watching is the math behind it. Chicago traded D.J. Moore to Buffalo this offseason, which means the receiver room Johnson is building around Caleb Williams for Year 2 was already down to essentially two proven options — Rome Odunze and Burden — plus a rookie in Thomas the staff was counting on to add a vertical element. Losing two of those three names in the same 24-hour window isn’t a footnote. It’s a dent in exactly the unit Johnson needs building chemistry with Williams during the install window, not standing on the sideline.

Odunze is coming off a rookie season with 44 catches for 661 yards and six touchdowns. Burden, a 2025 second-round pick, put up 47 catches for 652 yards and two scores and was a weapon late in games during Chicago’s playoff run. Thomas, a third-rounder out of LSU by way of Mississippi State, was drafted specifically for the deep-speed role neither Odunze nor Burden fills as naturally.

With both out Sunday, undrafted second-year receiver Jahdae Walker and camp standout Kaden Davis took the extra reps — and made it count. Walker hauled in a 59-yard touchdown from Williams, and Davis added a 34-yard score of his own, per WGN. It’s a small silver lining, but it doesn’t replace what a healthy Burden and Thomas bring once the games count.

Part of a bigger pattern at Halas Hall

The receivers aren’t operating in isolation. Chicago’s camp has been rough across the roster. Safety Coby Bryant is dealing with a hyperextended knee, a bone bruise and a small fracture that’s expected to keep him out into the regular season. Cornerback Dallis Flowers landed on injured reserve after a separate practice injury. The team signed veteran safety Xavier Woods specifically to cover the Bryant gap. Add in lingering absences for linebacker D’Marco Jackson, left tackle Braxton Jones and defensive end Montez Sweat, and the Burden-Thomas hits land on top of a secondary and offensive line that were already searching for answers.

None of that means the season is in trouble in early August. It’s a month before Chicago’s opener, and Rapoport’s framing on Burden — “miss a little bit of time” — is the kind of update teams can absorb. But volume matters. A camp that keeps producing new injuries, even minor ones, is a camp where depth pieces are forced into bigger roles earlier than planned, and where a coaching staff has less practice time to find out who its real backups actually are before the games start mattering.

What’s next

Expect the Bears to update Thomas’s status as the week goes on; a rookie grabbing his knee and limping off is the kind of injury that typically gets evaluated with imaging before a firm timeline is public. Burden’s groin strain puts him in a more familiar bucket — Rapoport’s sourcing suggests it’s not viewed as serious, but groin injuries can linger and recur if rushed. Chicago has roughly a month before the regular season opens, which is enough runway to be patient with both players rather than push them back onto the field early. How the Bears use that runway, and whether Walker or Davis force their way into a real role in the meantime, is the more interesting story than either injury on its own.