Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson did not hesitate when labeling his new wide receiver, Luther Burden III.
“Luther? Stud,” Johnson replied when asked for an assessment of the former Mizzou standout.
Johnson, of course, had much more to say about his team’s new pass-catcher. Burden logged 192 receptions for 2,263 yards and 21 receiving touchdowns over his Tiger career, playing in 38 games with 33 starts.
“You saw the highlights, right? He’s a playmaker waiting to happen,” the coach continued. “Went to the same high school, I believe, as Jameson Williams. (Williams) texts me right after we took him and said, ‘You got a dog – just like me.’”
Williams spent the last 3 seasons playing for the Detroit Lions with Johnson as play-caller. Last season, Williams put up the best numbers of his career, logging 58 catches on 91 targets for 1,001 yards and 7 touchdowns.
It took Williams until Year 3 of his career to reach that level of production after returning from an ACL tear in his final game at Alabama.
Johnson, though, can’t help but see Burden as similar to Williams.
“Luther has that same confidence, same swagger to him,” Johnson told reporters.
“I see big things in his future.”