Why Bears fans are nervous about Luther Burden: The Kevin White timeline
- Mark Potash
- Jul 25
- 2 min read
Updated: Jul 26
Bears rookie wide receiver Luther Burden, the team's second-round draft pick (No. 39 overall) from Missouri, has yet to participate in training camp because of a hamstring injury he suffered during the first OTA practice on May 20.
The Bears expected Burden to be ready for camp, but he has missed all three practices so far, and Bears coach Ben Johnson, while hopeful that Burden will return soon, isn't making any promises.
It's still only the first week of training camp (players haven't even practiced in pads yet) but some fans are getting a little nervous — probably those who remember the saga of wide receiver Kevin White. The Bears' first-round draft pick (No. 7 overall) suffered a leg injury in OTAs that wasn't even acknowledged by the Bears until the day before training camp openbed, when he started camp on the PUP list (physically unable to perform) with a shin injury.
White ended up having surgery in August and the rehab lingered so long that White missed the entire season. It was a harbinger of a disappointing, star-crossed NFL career for White. He played in just four games in 2016 because of a fractured left tibia. He played in just one game in 2017 because of a broken collarbone. He ended up playing in just 14 games in four seasons with the Bears and was released after the 2018 season.
No two players are alike, of course. But the Bears have not had much luck with injuries over the years. In 2021, guard Teven Jenkins came into camp as a rookie with a back issue the Bears hoped would be short-term, and he ended up having surgery in August and missed the first 10 games of the season. So you can't blame Bears fans for getting a little panicky over Burden's injury. Even 10 years after, the painful Kevin White episode still is fresh in many Bears fans' memories.
Here is how it played out back in 2015:
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