Luther Burden, Darnell Wright Injury Updates Are Much-Needed Good News For Bears

With all of the bad injury news the Chicago Bears have seen this offseason, it’s nice when something positive happens. Well, we received some positive injury news on wide receiver Luther Burden and right tackle Darnell Wright on Wednesday.

According to ESPN’s Courtney Cronin, both Wright and Burden were at practice. This amount to Burden’s first practice since suffering his groin injury.

It was a light session because the Bears are set for a joint practice with the Tennessee Titans on Thursday, but it’s fantastic news to see both players taking part nonetheless.

“Two positive updates on the injury front: Darnell Wright was back at practice Wednesday after leaving early yesterday with an elbow concern,” Cronin wrote.

“Luther Burden III was back on the field for the first time since injuring his groin on Aug. 8. Burden went through individual drills and went inside when 7 on 7 started,” Cronin added.

Here’s the receipts:

Two positive updates on the injury front: Darnell Wright was back at practice Wednesday after leaving early yesterday with an elbow concern.

Luther Burden III was back on the field for the first time since injuring his groin on Aug. 8. Burden went through individual drills and… pic.twitter.com/ir1i0dM3ZY

— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) August 26, 2026

Burden had been out for weeks after coming down with a groin injury earlier in the month.

Reports suggested it was nothing serious, but we didn’t know for sure if he would be ready for Week 1. At this point, it’s safe to say he should be available, barring a setback.

Wright exited Wednesday’s practice early with an arm issue, but Cronin reported earlier on Wednesday that he was believed to be “fine,” and clearly that was the case, as he didn’t even miss a day.

Luther Burden’s 2026 outlook

Outside of one big game, Burden was relatively quiet during the first half of 2025 before becoming more consistent from Week 10 on. The result was a solid rookie campaign in which he finished with 47 receptions for 652 yards and two touchdowns.

Looking ahead to this coming season, Burden is going to have a bigger role in the offense after the departure of DJ Moore, who was traded to the Buffalo Bills.

Burden figures to begin the year as the No. 2 wide receiver behind Rome Odunze, and the No. 3 option in the passing game overall when you include budding superstar tight end Colston Loveland.

However, with Odunze less than cemented as a legit No. 1 wide receiver after two years in the league, there is a world in which Burden becomes the top target in the offense.

Adding fuel to that notion, Burden has been having a sensational offseason thus far and has drawn effusive praise from both head coach Ben Johnson and general manager Ryan Poles, so the hype surrounding him isn’t just some fan-created situation.