Chicago Bears DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Chicago Bears wide receiver Luther Burden III (undisclosed) is not practicing on Wednesday as he deals with a soft-tissue injury, according to head coach Ben Johnson. Johnson said, "It remains to be seen" when the rookie from Missouri will return to action. Burden was selected in the second round of last month's draft after compiling 192 receptions for 2,263 yards and 21 touchdowns in 38 career games. He added 34 carries for 234 yards and four scores as a runner. While Burden is an exciting player with the ball in his hands, it's tough to get too optimistic about his fantasy outlook in 2025. Caleb Williams is unproven at quarterback, and the Chicago pass-catching group is crowded with DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, Cole Kmet, Colston Loveland, and D'Andre Swift. He's a solid dynasty rookie draft pick at cost, but it would be a surprise if he's a consistent producer for redraft leagues in Year 1.

The Chicago Bears signed new offensive guard Joe Thuney to a two-year contract extension on Tuesday at $17.5 million per year, a source tells ESPN's Adam Schefter. Thuney will now make $51 million for the next three years with $33.5 million fully guaranteed at signing. The 32-year-old veteran was slated to count $16 million against the 2025 salary cap, but his new deal will lower that figure. Chicago sent a 2026 fourth-round draft pick to the Kansas City Chiefs for Thuney in March as they look to beef up their offensive line in front of second-year quarterback Caleb Williams. In addition to Thuney, the Bears new-look offensive line also has Drew Dalman and Jonah Jackson in 2025. Thuney will be the starting left guard in the Windy City this year in what the Bears are hoping will be an improvement for Williams under center.

According to details from a forthcoming book reveal, quarterback Caleb Williams and his family consulted with lawyers to find potential ways around being drafted first overall by the Chicago Bears in 2024. "Chicago is the place quarterbacks go to die," Carl Williams, Caleb's father, told Seth Wickersham, author of "American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback," in the months before the 2024 draft. Caleb Williams ultimately decided he could make it work in Chicago before struggling to a QB16 finish in a rookie season that saw Bears head coach Matt Eberflus and offensive coordinator Shane Waldron both fired. The 23-year-old threw for 20 touchdowns and six interceptions while taking a league-high 68 sacks. The good news is that the Bears did everything they could to give Williams help heading into his sophomore season, so the former first overall pick is set up to succeed in Year 2.

Chicago Bears rookie second-round wide receiver Luther Burden III still feels disrespected that he wasn't selected in the first round of this year's NFL draft. "I feel like teams that passed up on me are going to regret it," Burden said. "I just want to make everybody pay." Burden has been impressive in the early portions of rookie minicamp after being a first-team All-SEC selection the last two years. He caught 192 passes for 2,263 yards and 21 touchdowns in three college seasons at Missouri. The 21-year-old will join first-round rookie tight end Colston Loveland in an offense that already features pass-catchers DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, Cole Kmet and Olamide Zaccheaus. The 6-foot, 206-pound Burden will initially be competing with Zaccheaus this summer for the WR3 role in Chicago. Volume will be an issue, but Burden certainly has intriguing after-the-catch abilities.

Chicago Bears rookie first-round tight end Colston Loveland (shoulder) has been unavailable during practice during rookie minicamp while rehabbing from surgery that he had on his shoulder in January. While he's unavailable for on-field work, Loveland is focusing on the mental side of things, learning the offensive scheme and developing chemistry with quarterback Caleb Williams. The 21-year-old 10th overall pick in this year's NFL draft is expected to increase his activity by the time mandatory minicamp rolls around early next month, and he should be fully ready to go by training camp this summer as he enters his first year in the NFL. The Bears still have Cole Kmet at the position, but the 6-foot-6, 260-pound Loveland could be Chicago's top pass-catching TE by season's end. As he shares playing time with Kmet in Year 1, fantasy managers should temper expectations in 2025.