Overview
- Burden suffered a groin strain during one‑on‑one red‑zone drills on Saturday after tangling with cornerback Tyrique Stevenson and walked off with trainers without returning to practice.
- Multiple outlets report he is expected to miss about a month and will likely sit the entire preseason while the team hopes he can be available for the Sept. 13 Week 1 game at Carolina.
- The Bears have moved quickly to shore up depth by hosting receiver tryouts, auditioning players such as Julian Hicks and signing veteran Ray‑Ray McCloud to provide immediate camp help.
- Chicago has shifted preseason reps toward established targets and young receivers — notably Rome Odunze and rookie Zavion Thomas, who left practice with knee soreness but is described as day‑to‑day — to sort the pecking order without Burden.
- Burden was a productive 2025 rookie (47 catches for 652 yards) and his absence complicates the evaluation of the passing game and Caleb Williams’ chemistry, while groin injuries carry a risk of lingering setbacks that the team must manage carefully.