The Chicago Bears conducted their first practice of training camp on Wednesday, but they were without one key rookie in wide receiver Luther Burden III.
Burden was not present at Wednesday’s practice, along with fellow rookie cornerback Zah Frazier. And Burden’s absence is certainly notable, especially after Tuesday’s press conference made it appear that Burden was ready to go.
Burden missed OTAs and mandatory minicamp after suffering a hamstring injury during rookie minicamp. When previously asked about Burden’s availability coming into training camp, head coach Ben Johnson said he believed the 39th overall pick would be ready when the time arrived.
“No worry whatsoever,” Johnson said back in minicamp about Burden and tight end Colston Loveland’s availability. “We got plenty of bullets, plenty of weapons here on offense. We’re going to be just fine.”
Burden’s presence is important in the wide receiver room, where he has a chance to be the third option at the position behind DJ Moore and Rome Odunze, but there’s other veterans chomping at the bit to step up in his absence.
Missing two members of the rookie class — Burden and Frazier — that has drawn plenty of attention is not ideal for the Bears or the young players. So getting them back on the field and healthy is imperative to get them prepared for Johnson’s gameplan.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears rookie Luther Burden III sidelined for Day 1 of training camp
Reporting by Mike Pendleton, Bears Wire / Bears Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
