Bears WR Luther Burden III Set to Miss Preseason With Groin Injury, but Team Expects Him Ready for Week 1
Chicago Bears wide receiver Luther Burden III is now expected to miss the rest of the preseason with a groin injury, though the team believes he’ll be ready when the games start counting. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, sources say Burden should be back in the lineup for Chicago’s regular-season opener against the Carolina Panthers, even as he sits out the exhibition slate.
The injury happened Saturday during red-zone one-on-one drills at training camp. Burden got tangled up with cornerback Tyrique Stevenson on the final rep while going up for a pass from quarterback Caleb Williams. Stevenson took the worse of it physically — per ESPN, he landed hard on his back and needed several moments and sideline treatment before eventually pulling himself out of a later 11-on-11 period. Burden walked off under his own power but didn’t return.
The Timeline Has Shifted Since the First Reports
The injury news actually broke in stages, and the picture has gotten more specific — and slightly more serious — with each update. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport first reported Sunday that Burden had a groin injury and would miss “a little bit of time.” CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz followed with more detail, reporting that Burden is expected to miss about a month, with hope he’d be ready for Week 1.
#Bears wide receiver Luther Burden, who suffered a groin injury Saturday, is currently expected to miss about a month, sources tell @CBSSports.
The hope is that he’ll be back and available for Chicago’s season opener vs. the #Panthers, per sources. pic.twitter.com/fg3P8iooEo
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) August 10, 2026
Schefter’s Monday report tightens that framing considerably: Burden isn’t just week-to-week, he’s expected to miss the entire preseason. That’s a firmer, more specific claim from a well-sourced NFL insider, and it should be treated as the most current read on his timeline — even though the “back for Week 1” expectation hasn’t changed.
Why This Injury Actually Matters for Chicago’s Offense
Losing Burden for camp isn’t just an inconvenience — it exposes exactly how thin the Bears’ receiver room gets behind him. Chicago’s projected starting trio at receiver is Rome Odunze, Burden and veteran Kalif Raymond, who signed this offseason specifically to reunite with head coach Ben Johnson after playing for him in Detroit. With Burden out, that WR3 competition and the rest of camp reps shift toward Raymond, rookie Zavion Thomas and Jahdae Walker — all of whom now get an accelerated look with the first team during exactly the stretch when roster spots get sorted out.
That matters more than it would for a typical WR3 injury because Burden isn’t a depth piece. He’s coming off a rookie season where he caught 47 passes for 652 yards and two touchdowns, and both Johnson and general manager Ryan Poles have talked him up as a player they expect to take a real step forward in Year 2. Missing all of camp means missing exactly the reps — new route concepts, chemistry with Williams, timing in Johnson’s system — that were supposed to fuel that leap.
The Bears Have Reason to Be Cautious, Not Just Optimistic
Groin injuries carry a real risk of setback if a player comes back too early, and Chicago has recent history here. Cornerback Jaylon Johnson dealt with a groin injury last July that cost him all of training camp; he tried to return for Week 2, reinjured it almost immediately, and ended up out indefinitely. That’s not a prediction for Burden — every injury and every player is different — but it’s the kind of cautionary pattern that should make the Bears in no hurry to rush him back onto the field just to get preseason snaps.
For now, the practical transaction picture is straightforward: Burden remains with the team, not on injured reserve or the PUP list, and is simply not practicing while he rehabs. No corresponding roster move has been reported.
What’s Next
The clearest marker to watch is whether Burden returns to practice before the preseason wraps up, even in a limited capacity — that would be the signal his groin has responded well to rest. If he’s still fully sidelined heading into the final week of camp, that’s when questions about his Week 1 status will get louder, regardless of what the team is saying publicly right now. Until then, expect Raymond and Thomas to soak up extended first-team reps, which will double as a legitimate audition for snaps once Burden is back.
