Luther Burden is already liking his new coach, Ben Johnson, as he kicks off his rookie season. Good for him to acknowledge how much he appreciates Johnson. It’s not hard to appreciate what Johnson is going to do in Chicago. He turned Detroit’s offense around in a couple years. His offensive success is why the Bears wanted him badly. It’s also why Burden is excited for his rookie season.
Johnson has a lot of offensive weapons to work with next season. Along with Burden, the Bears also have DJ Moore, Rome Odunze and they drafted Colston Loveland. Johnson quite literally turned this Bears team into what the Lions were last year. Which means once Burden gets acclimated with the offense, there’s a good chance he becomes a key player with the Bears.
Ben Johnnson is already making an impression on his new team
According to a Pro Football Talk story, Johnson holds his players to high standards. He went out of his way to pull Burden out of a drill to let him know he wasn’t up to speed like he needed to be. Part of that was because Burden missed some time with a hamstring injury during camp. Instead of taking it personally, Burden used it as motivation.
“I feel like I’ve got to know my stuff,” Burden said, per the Pro Football Talk story. “He holds everybody to a high standard here. It’s great for us, great for the team and that’s the standard here.”
The Bears have a young offense and Johnson knows how important it is to get them bought in early. He’s making sure his team knows his expectations. But more importantly he’s setting the precedent that you have to be willing to do the work.
Burden has a chance to be WR3 for the Bears behind Moore and Odunze. If we’re comparing this Bears team to the Lions, Burden could be what Jameson Williams was in Detroit. A big play threat, with killer speed and a threat with the ball in his hands. The best thing for this team and this offense is to have buy-in from everybody.
There’s no doubt this offense is set up to succeed with Johnson’s mentality and the young talent on this roster. Burden is proof Johnson just might be the savior for professional football in Chicago.