Bears head coach Ben Johnson "buying Luther Burden stock" in WR's second year

A happy and healthy bunch of Bears are handling their business at the first week of OTA practices. Instead of feeling like the first day of school like it did last year, head coach Ben Johnson knows all the ABC's of OTAs as he enters year two at the helm of the Bears.

Johnson isn't the only one who feels more up to speed. The tone is being set early regarding what it takes to follow up on an unexpected division title and second-round playoff run.

The second-year head coach said he's impressed with how hard-working his players have been so far during the offseason programs. He said the entire team knows what's expected of them.

"You know, it's notable to me just one day of OTAs, the guys that were here last year versus the new guys to the program, whether they're rookies or free agents, there was just a different level of I don't want to say comfort, but they know," Johnson said. "They know what it's supposed to look like, and that's a good thing. That's a good thing. We can kind of hit the ground running a little bit."

With his promising rookie year in the rearview mirror, wide receiver Luther Burden III has his sights set on taking advantage of his first real offseason, and head coach Ben Johnson already has very high praise for what he's seen from Burden after just the second practice of OTAs.

"I'm buying Luther Burden stock right now, just how he's approached his offseason. It's been electric. I showed up yesterday, he had numerous explosive plays. I loved how in phase two he was finishing every single rep that he took," Johnson said. "He's in a really good spot. He's still developing and growing his route tree. He's been extremely coachable. So I'm really happy with him."

Burden said he was just putting in the work this offseason to get bigger, faster, and stronger, and most importantly get more comfortable with the playbook.

"I feel like it's going to be good, you know, just so I'll be able to play way faster. So less thinking, more playing, more explosive plays, more excitement," he said. "If you're thinking about what you've got to do, you can't even focus on what the defense is in. You're trying to focus on what you've got to do. So, if you already know what you've got to do, I feel like you can have a better plan of how to attack the defense."

Running back D'Andre Swift described Burden as a young man who's hungry and confident in his own ability.

Burden said he's just hungry to show the world who he is – the guy.

Meantime, after being hampered by injuries that caused him to miss 10 games last year, newly married cornerback Jaylon Johnson was present and accounted for alongside nickelback Kyler Gordon, who missed 14 games last year with groin, hamstring, and calf injuries.

While Johnson was fully participating in Thursday's practice, Gordon didn't appear to be on the field for team drills after suffering a soft tissue injury in recent weeks.