Is Luther Burden Ready for a Breakout in 2026?

Summary

---

Forward Progress – A Chicago Bears Podcast

Episode: Is Luther Burden Ready for a Breakout in 2026?
Hosts: Dan Bernstein & Matt Abbatacola
Date: May 29, 2026

---

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the Chicago Bears’ recent off-season developments, with a particular focus on whether wide receiver Luther Burden is primed for a breakout season in 2026. Dan and Matt bring their signature blend of sharp analysis and Chicago passion as they break down OTA (Organized Team Activities) takeaways, discuss the evolution of receiver roles under head coach Ben Johnson, and check in on key Bears’ position battles and injury news. The conversation also covers the Bears’ stadium negotiations and offers a league-wide glance at tough schedules and rookie impacts.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Bears OTA Highlights & Standout Players

(02:31–08:45)

• Caleb Williams’ big plays:

  • Notable for scrambling and launching deep balls, including an 80-yard touchdown to Rome Odunze and a 50-yarder to Xavion Thomas.
  • Dan notes fans should temper their excitement with context:

    “But just you understand...you know better than to divine any further deeper meaning outside of well, hey, that looks cool.” — Dan (02:50)

• Xavion Thomas’ speed:

  • The rookie WR has flashed his 4.28 speed, impressing coaches and onlookers.

• Position battles:

  • Braxton Jones leads at left tackle with Jedrick Wills Jr. not at practice (possible injury).
  • Dylan Thieneman, rookie safety, is currently working with the second-team defense but expected to move up soon.
    • Notable anecdote: Thieneman dropped an interception and had to do push-ups in practice, showing the staff’s emphasis on accountability (05:54).

• Austin Booker’s pressure:

  • Forcing Caleb Williams outside the pocket but also helping create highlight-reel plays.

• Pre-snap penalties:

  • Early concern as they persist from last year, but coaches aren’t too worried—yet.

---

2. Luther Burden’s Off-Season Progress & Breakout Potential

(09:01–10:40)

• High praise from Ben Johnson (as shared by Matt):

  “I’m buying Luther Burden stock right now. Just how he’s approached his offseason. It’s been electric.” — Matt relaying Ben Johnson’s comments (09:03)

  • Burden’s explosiveness and work ethic stood out during practices.
  • Notably, Burden ran a new route with electrifying results; curiosity is piqued about his expanded route tree.

• Speed translating to “football speed”:

  • He’s looked “like he’s playing at a different speed right now.” — Matt (09:34)
  • Game is slowing down for Burden and several teammates, allowing natural ability to shine.

• Play-caller’s confidence:

  “Well, he’s the guy calling the plays, so if he says he’s buying Luther Burden stock...he could make sure the ball is in his hands every time.” — Dan (10:14)

• Development and opportunity:

  • Burden had to earn reps last year due to competition and outperforming more experienced players.

---

3. Rethinking the “Number One WR” in Ben Johnson’s Offense

(12:20–20:36)

• No “number one WR” label:

  • Hosts highlight that Ben Johnson does not use the “number one wide receiver” label; his approach is option-based, not hierarchy-based.
  • Ball distribution depends on the play design, not preconceived pecking orders.

  “He looks at every single play with multiple options...the ball is going to find ideally...the person who’s open.” — Dan (13:20) “Let’s not box ourselves in with terms...It may make for facile discussion but it’s just not the way they look at it.” — Dan (14:23)

• Colston Loveland (TE) as best pass-catcher—not just wide receivers should be in focus.

• Analytics-driven, chunk-play mentality:

  “Ben Johnson has a certain number of yards to get. He wants to get 20 plus yards every pass play.” — Matt (15:55)

• Role evolution & versatility:

  • Tight ends, running backs, and multiple receivers may all become primary targets depending on scheme and situation.
  • Avoiding “old school” designations, the offense is about exploiting matchups and play-to-play possibilities.

• NFL-wide context:

  • The analogy to baseball’s evolving bullpen roles is invoked—player roles are less rigid and more situational.

---

4. Around the NFL: Schedules & Rookie Impact

(20:36–33:03)

• Toughest NFL schedules:

  • Discussion referencing an NFL.com ranking; surprise that the Arizona Cardinals, not the Bears, have the toughest projected schedule (21:41).

  “The division is not built to give rebuilding teams a soft landing.” — Matt (22:14)

• Coach seat watch:

  • Disagreement on which NFL head coach might be fired first (Todd Monken vs. Mike LaFleur).

• Rookie focus, especially Dylan Thieneman:

  • NFL.com lists Thieneman as a crucial rookie needing to make an immediate impact after the Bears’ significant turnover at safety.

  “He offers the kind of versatility that Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen loves to exploit at the position.” — Matt quoting NFL.com (31:04)

  • Emphasis on his ball-hawking skills and adaptability at Oregon.

---

5. Bears-Specific Updates

(26:31–29:57)

• Kyler Gordon’s injury status:

  • Seen participating in rehab only, with a “recurring soft tissue injury” (groin, hamstring, or calf suspected).
  • Frustration over injuries after his big contract as nickel corner.

• Offensive tackle depth:

  • Mention of Reed Hulsky, a young tackle recently cut by the Giants—possible practice squad addition for teams needing tackle depth (29:00).

• Line play context:

  • Reminder: Off-season workouts are non-contact and not fully representative of regular-season action.

---

6. Bears’ Stadium Saga: Illinois Senate Deal

(33:03–36:35)

• Stadium deal at the wire:

  • Upcoming midnight Saturday deadline for negotiations on a new stadium deal in Illinois.
  • Bears executives are in Springfield but the mayor is notably absent.
  • Sense of cautious optimism among legislators and insiders.

  “Three days is like a lifetime, and I still think there’s time to get something done if we can get enough support for it.” — Dan quoting Senator Bill Cunningham (34:13)

• Indiana/Hammond as leverage:

  • The possibility of moving to Hammond, Indiana remains, but both hosts agree this is likely just posturing.

---

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On OTA Hype:

  “It isn’t real. But if it’s enough to get you excited and you know that that’s all it is. All right.” — Dan Bernstein (03:22)

• On Luther Burden:

  “He looks like he’s playing at a different speed right now. You knew he had it in him. He’s a 4.4 guy...I think we’re starting to see that now.” — Matt Abbatacola (09:34)

• On “Number 1” receiver concept:

  “Let’s not box ourselves in with terms and talking about this stuff...It may make for facile discussion but it’s just not the way they look at it.” — Dan Bernstein (14:23)

• On defensive push-ups:

  “You don’t drop footballs on this defense. Otherwise you do push-ups.” — Matt Abbatacola (05:54)

• On stadium negotiations:

  “Anything is possible, but not anything is probable.” — Dan Bernstein (36:35)

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 02:31–06:12: OTA highlights – Williams’s deep ball, Xavion Thomas, Braxton Jones, and push-ups culture
• 06:33–08:45: Pre-snap penalties, coach Ben Johnson’s wired/tired look
• 09:01–10:40: Ben Johnson’s glowing report on Luther Burden’s off-season
• 12:20–20:36: Deep-dive on Ben Johnson’s “option-based” offense and what that means for WRs
• 20:36–24:48: Discussion of NFL schedule strength and head coach hot seats
• 26:31–29:57: Kyler Gordon’s injury, offensive tackle Reed Hulsky
• 33:03–36:35: Bears’ Illinois Senate stadium deal—process, potential pitfalls, and optimism

---

Episode Tone & Takeaways

Dan and Matt keep things analytical but conversational, mixing deep football talk with their signature wit and passion for the Bears. The tone is engaged, at times skeptical (especially with OTA hype and injury woes), and hopeful (especially for Luther Burden’s emergence and stadium progress).

For any Bears fan or broader NFL observer, this episode offers a blend of granular practice observations, big-picture team-building philosophy, and a real-time sense of how off-season narratives are taking shape.

---

Transcript

[Mark McCray]

You know what's missing? Real talk about what black men go through mentally and emotionally. Man listen Mental health conversations for men of color. We're diving into the real stuff. The pressure, the struggles, the healing. No filters, just brothers sharing their truth about navigating life and finding purpose. Whether you're living it, supporting someone who is, or just want to understand, this is for you. I'm Mark McCray, and I'm ready to have these conversations. Find us by searching. Man Listen Mental wherever you get your podcast.

[Narrator/Story Character]

Everybody talked about it since I first moved to Oregon. The big one. The earthquake that trashed the whole west coast. Total destruction.

[Dan Bernstein]

Officially calling it the largest natural disaster in American history.

[Narrator/Story Character]

I just didn't know what would help me next. So I took it all. Even the gun.

[Dan Bernstein]

Did you kill them? Cielo, when I give you a target, I'm not asking for you to hit it tomorrow or later. My orders come before food. They come before sleep. I understand, sir. I don't think you do, son.

[Narrator/Story Character]

I'd wasted enough days already. It was time.

[Dan Bernstein]

Time for what, Ciella?

[Narrator/Story Character]

Time to find my mom.

[Dan Bernstein]

You know we have files on her. Your mom was active on a lot of dark websites.

[Narrator/Story Character]

I spent the next month wondering where she was, whether she was alive, how I could find her. Now I wish I never did.

[Dan Bernstein]

Listen to the number one fiction and drama podcast, American Afterlife, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your shows presented by pair of thieves. Available now.

[Mishke]

It's a world of artificial intelligence, of limited character, tweets, of mini clips on TikTok. My name's Mishke, and the Mishke podcast offers something wholly different. The lost art of simple human storytelling. Whether humorous tales, absurd narratives, or real drama, telling stories is my stock in trade. So escape to the very human Mishke podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

[Dan Bernstein]

I mean, if you're a Bears fan, you're thinking forward progress. Come on. 10, 2, 19.

[Matt Abaticola]

2, 19. Forward progress. A Chicago Bears podcast with Dan Bernstein and Matt Abaticola on three one two sports.

[Dan Bernstein]

We give you forward progress on three one two sports as we talk Bears and NFL. And there is action. They are out on the field. And I think I've seen every angle of what is it now? Up to 80. The 80 yard touchdown of the scrambling Caleb Williams running to his right in super slow motion and launching the perfect bomb down the field to Roma Dunes. And we've had notes of a. A 50 yard pass to Xavion Thomas. And if it whets your appetite for more Bears action, more power to you. But just you understand, you know better than to divine any further deeper meaning outside of well, hey, that looks cool. And Caleb is running around chucking the ball all over the place and at least they're not pulling him off the field because he doesn't know how to break the huddle correctly or doesn't understand the step count or whatever it's been before. But yeah, it's, it isn't, it isn't real. But if it's enough to get you excited and you know that that's all it is. All right.

[Matt Abaticola]

Well, it's, it's interesting stuff happening and was looking at Bears wire. I know, I know that we do love Bears Wire.

[Dan Bernstein]

I love Bears Wire because no. No story. No story is not. Is beneath their, their coverage for absolute content.

[Matt Abaticola]

I love it. I love it.

[Dan Bernstein]

They've. They, they will dredge up whatever they can find.

[Matt Abaticola]

Alyssa Barbieri has six takeaways from day two of the Bears OTAs. So we'll just, let's jump through these here.

[Dan Bernstein]

Six takeaways. Wow.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. One thing that you already mentioned, one area. Kayla Williams impresses with the deep throws. And I know there was a, a ball that I've seen 50 yards in the air. Now it's 67 yards in the air.

[Dan Bernstein]

Just you wait. Yeah, it's going to be, it's going to be a half a mile in the air. Yeah.

[Matt Abaticola]

And here's an area of Xavion Thomas. His speed steals the show. One of the more intriguing players to monitor during the off season is third round rookie receivers Avion Thomas, who's 4:2:8 speed made him appealing to head coach Ben Johnson. The speed was on display during Thursday's practice. He had a 50 yard, 50 yard plus reception from Caleb Williams down the left sideline, beating cornerback Tyreek Stevenson. So that stood out as an area of interest. Braxton Jones gets the start at left tackle.

[Dan Bernstein]

What we expect.

[Matt Abaticola]

So Braxton Jones was working with the first team offense at left tackle appears to hold the advantage in one of the summer's most important position battles. For what it's worth, Jedrick Willis Jr. Didn't participate in team drills. So that's interesting. They didn't say why. Hammond noted he's hurt.

[Dan Bernstein]

There's all kinds of outs in that deal. If he's hurt, it doesn't cost him anything.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, no, it's not a huge deal. This is, this is a flyer at a guy that had some big potential. Yep. That dealt with a lot of injuries, so we'll see what that does. Dylan Fineman was working out with the second team defense during Thursday's practice. Likely that will change very soon as the young defensive back works his way through the off season program. Thieman did have a chance to get an interception too. Dan. I was reading and he dropped the interception. So guess what he had to do on the field?

[Dan Bernstein]

Push ups.

[Matt Abaticola]

He had to do push ups. They're going to show him you don't drop footballs on this defense. Otherwise you do push ups.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's right. And. And it happened even in a game you got to stop and do push ups. That's right.

[Matt Abaticola]

Like the like major league for the Indians. Yep.

[Dan Bernstein]

Same thing.

[Matt Abaticola]

Austin Booker bringing the pressure. Apparently he he was getting to Caleb Williams forced him to scramble outside the pocket. But here's the thing. He did wind up they're not wearing pads but he did end up delivering the highlight of the day throw to rooms to Roma Dunes A which you mentioned was also when he was being forced out by Austin Booker. So.

[Dan Bernstein]

Right. We don't want that again with what they're telling him is do less. We ideally it's just quiet and the ball is out and he's in the pocket and everything is on time and on rhythm. We only want to see him running around and exposing himself to big hits and and breaking everything down if he absolutely has to. If he's doing a lot of that, it means things aren't going well.

[Matt Abaticola]

And here's the the last note of yesterday's ota. One of the most frustrating storylines in last year's offseason, workouts, training camp and even preseason was the offense's struggles with pre snap penalties to the point where head coach Ben Johnson had to step in. Unfortunately, the Bears struggled with pre snap penalties during Thursday's practice, but after listening to Johnson talk about Caleb Williams leading a smoother operation compared to last year, it's safe to say it's not too concerning at this point. Still, it needs to be cleaned up. That's unfortunate to read, but again it's early on here in otas so nothing, nothing of too great concern.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay. All right, fine. I'm just happy to see him out there. I know that there were the fact that Jalen Johnson is there with Tyreek Stevenson. We're seeing him participating and actually seeing Bears on the field doing football like things is satisfying for many. I will say though, Ben Johnson looked like he's not sleeping much.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, it's weird. He. He looked very wired and very tired at the same time.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes.

[Matt Abaticola]

And he looks. He looks. Is he like on A workout program too, in the off season because he looks, he looked jacked.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, maybe he just plans to coach the entire season shirtless because it was so popular last year that maybe he's. He's concerned about if he's going to have to strip off his shirt again. That he looks like he's, like he's in better shape than last year. Perhaps.

[Matt Abaticola]

I didn't think he looked like he was in bad shape, but maybe I didn't either. Like the. He looked with his shirt off in the videos and now he's got some guns looked. He looked pretty jacked. And again, his eyes looked wired and tired, which is, that's, that's a really.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's a.

[Matt Abaticola]

It's a hard thing to accomplish.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. He hasn't been like touring with an emo band or anything, has he? I just, I don't know if he's like, you know, riding the, the late night buses or like being a roadie or something and helping everybody break down after shows. It just. I. I'm just not sure the life he's living at the moment.

[Matt Abaticola]

There was a player that was doing football things on the field yesterday. Dan. And this is Ben Johnson. I'm buying Luther Burden stock right now. Just how he's approached his offseason. It's been electric. He showed up yesterday, had numerous explosive plays. I loved how in phase two, he was finishing every single rep that he took. And that really translated over to yesterday as well. So he's in really good. 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.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay.

[Matt Abaticola]

He looks like he's playing at a different speed right now. You knew he had it in him. He's a 44 guy. And yet those time speeds don't always translate to real speed, football speed. The game tape. I think we're starting to see that now. He's not thinking as much. He knows what we're trying to do. So you kind of see that with a number of these guys, as I alluded to before, that have been here for a little bit of time now. The game is slowing for them and, and it allows their abilities to come out. He actually talked about one specific route, didn't mention what the route was, but just said that he ran a route that he hasn't run before and looked electric in running this one particular route. So be really curious to know what, what that was.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, he's the guy calling the plays, so if he says he's buying Luther Burden stock, you know, he's kind of in charge of the value of that stock if he wants it to be because he could make sure the ball is in his hands every. Every time.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, I get what you're saying. That's a good point to make. But as the guy calling it, if he wasn't doing things that were impressing him, he wouldn't call that number quite a bit. Therefore the stock wouldn't be very high.

[Dan Bernstein]

I think that's true that there at some point it has to start with more than just that leap of faith to say, well, let's see what he's got that he's earning all of that time. And it took him a little bit of time to inherit some of Alama days. Zacchaeus reps last year and Zacchaeus helped by with the drops, he made it easier to say, well, look, somebody else can, can drop the football too. And I'd rather have the guy out there that's more explosive.

[Ad Voice 1]

Wherever you go, whatever they get into, from chill time to everyday adventures, protect your dog from parasites with Cridellio Quattro. For full safety information, side effects and warnings, visit cordelioquattrolabel.com consult your vet or call 1-888-545-5973. Ask your vet for Cordelio Cuatro and

[Ad Voice 2]

visit quattrodog.com Liberty Mutual customizes your car and home insurance. And now we're customizing this rush hour ad to keep you calm, which could help your driving. And science says therapy is great for a healthy mindset. So enjoy this 14 second session on us. I think you've done everything right and absolutely nothing wrong. In fact, anything that hasn't gone your way could probably be blamed on not being emotionally available because his father wasn't emotionally available and so on. And now that you're calm and healing, you're probably driving better, too.

[Dan Bernstein]

Liberty.

[Mishke]

Liberty. Liberty.

[Dan Bernstein]

Liberty.

[Ad Voice 1]

Dinner time. It's where little moments are cherished with blue cash preferred. Get 6% cash back at US supermarkets and bring everyone together. I did say everyone. Learn [e-mail] Explore BCP terms and cash back cap. Apply with blue cash preferred.

[Dan Bernstein]

I do want to say something, though, that I have been hearing in a lot of the Bears discussion and reading a lot of the Bears discussion. And it's an old term that I don't think is applicable to the way that Ben Johnson coaches, based on my understanding. Okay, have, have you ever heard Ben Johnson as bears head Coach use the phrase number one wide receiver.

[Matt Abaticola]

No, not in the. Where we at here may not. In the 16 months he's been the

[Dan Bernstein]

head coach, I don't think I've heard it either. And that's because he doesn't look at it that way. And when we have something like these, what we went through with Devin Hester and Lovey Smith, he's our number one. He's a number one. And I, from everything I understand about Ben Johnson, he looks at every single play with multiple options for the ball to find the person who's open. There are multiple people who could be open and he's. There are going to be people who play different positions and you can call them what you want. Depending on how those pass catchers are out there and whether they are in 12 personnel or they're in 13 personnel that we know they're going to use or something exotic. If they're going to use 21 or 22, whatever they want to do, the ball is going to find ideally the quarterback and the ball. The, the play itself determines who receives the ball. And at the end of the year if it so happens that somebody has been more open or somebody has gotten more yards or more touchdowns, that's because they've been the beneficiary of a well run play and a well delivered ball. It's not because they have a number one wideout. We have to stop talking like that. It may make for facile discussion but it's just not the way they look at it. Their number one or, or their best. Their best receiver is Colston Loveland. Yes, he's their best receiver. There are certain plays where he is the number one option where the play where they first want the look to go is that guy open? Not every play but he's. They call him a tight end even though he does wide receiver type things and sometimes out of the slot without his hand on the ground has wide receiver responsibilities. So I just think we. Let's not box ourselves in with terms and talking about this stuff and I know it comes down to well, dunes contract is going to be up and how are they going to pay him and who are the comps and what are the numbers? The only numbers I really care about are the W's because you got more points than the other team and however those explosive plays have to come. Last year they had what, four guys with 60 catches? Yes, four or five guys. And you're close to five guys, guys over 700 yards. That's fine with me. I don't need to have a hierarchy imposed upon the offense. There's no good reason for it. If you're open, I want you to get the ball. And when you have the ball, run by everybody and run through everybody and score.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. I think when we. We talk about it a lot on our off the Ivy, the Chicago Cubs podcast, we do Monday through Friday. Dan, that Craig Council has a giant pile of outs he has to get. Yes. And I think you can make a similar comparison. Ben Johnson has a certain number of yards to get. He wants to get 20 plus yards every pass play. And wherever he is on the field, whether they have 80 yards to go or they have 60 or 40 or 30, he's going to say, what's the next best play for me to get an explosive play out of my offense, whether it's 10 yards running or 20 yards passing, what is that next best play? He looks at that play, he looks at his play sheet, he says, all right, this is where we're going. There might be a primary guy on that, but multiple guys will have opportunities to gain yards on that play. He doesn't care who it is. He wants to get a chunk of yards. He wants to get 20 yards on a pass play. He wants to get 10 yards on a run play. What's that next best play on my play sheet, given where we're at in the sequence of this game, to accomplish that, it doesn't matter to him who it is. Right. I need to get yards.

[Dan Bernstein]

Who do I have?

[Ad Voice 3]

Who.

[Dan Bernstein]

Who are. Look, he has a depth chart. He has some choices of who does what and when and what his. His top picks are of the available people at every position. But once that game starts, he doesn't go in there saying, I gotta feed this guy or I gotta get this guy. X amount of touches. You earn them by being open. Right.

[Matt Abaticola]

And what I love about that is the idea. And I know you have a. If you have a legitimate stud wide receiver on your team, they're gonna get the ball regardless of what you try to do to them. Jamar Chase, I just.

[Dan Bernstein]

I immediately went to the Bengals game when.

[Matt Abaticola]

Immediately.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, I think, well, it's going to. Jamar Chase again.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yes. And he's got. He's going to catch it. The thing with what he. What he's developing with his offense is, yeah, you could try to take a guy out, but the whole idea is, hey, run your routes, do what is expected of you on this play, because the ball could come to you. You could gain yards for us on this particular play, you could get a touchdown for us on this particular play. Do your job every play, every route. That's why it's vital to not only run the route if you're not the primary guy because you could end up getting the ball, but more importantly, running your route, doing your job opens the play up for the guys on that primary list ahead of you on that particular play, as well as being able to go downfield and block, which is what we talked a lot about, about Roman Dunes a last year, Luther Burden about not being concerned with getting downfield and hitting somebody and blocking somebody.

[Dan Bernstein]

1 so I, I, I, I know we love trying to slot people into descriptive terms. It says this is what you are, this is who you are. And very often it used to be the ex receiver was considered your number one because that was the split end out there on an island making the big plays and drawing the attention more so than the flanker who was referred to as the possession receiver. Forget all those things.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, it's, it's evolving. And the way we understand it and watch consume it is evolving. It's again, I'll go back to a baseball analogy. You had your setup guy, you had your eighth inning guy, you had your closer. It's all different now. Now, all right, we have nine outs left to get. Who's the next best guy to get the next group of outs. It's all evolving and changing and the way that we watch it, consume it, learn about it, talk about it is changing too, because the way the game is being played is changing. And so it's more of an old, older school mentality. Your number one guy, you know, your, your possession guy, that it's all different now. Now it's, you're going to have multiple options from a tight end to multiple wide receivers to your receipt to your running backs coming out of the backfield to catch the ball.

[Dan Bernstein]

Everybody's job is every, everybody's job is make an explosive play.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

Catch. Catch the ball and outrun everybody for a touchdown. I don't care if you're a running back, I don't care what you are. We, when that ball is out, make the play and go. And at the end of the year, we'll then look at your stats and decide what you are. And if you want to call somebody number one extra special champion wide receiver, go ahead and do that. And in your mind you can give him ribbons and medals and Burger King

[Matt Abaticola]

crown like I always like to talk about. You can.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yes, you can do that too, like we would do for the umpires. But they don't care. They don't care. You will get the ball if you're open and the guys who. All the rules apply. If you get a lot of yards and a lot of touchdowns, you'll make a lot of money. So get open.

[Matt Abaticola]

We talked a lot about the, the Bears schedule, and, you know, there was a lot made about how it's the toughest strength of schedule that the Bears have. I saw this piece from NFL.com it was Dan Parr, one of the writers, and he had the. The five teams with the toughest schedules. I'm like, all right, well, I think I go, I thought we already talked about this, looked at it, and here are the five that he had. Number one was. Number five actually is Dallas for the Chargers, three, Seattle, two, the Rams. And as I'm scrolling down, I'm like, all right, number one is going to be the Bears. Because we've talked about this a lot. This was interesting. Number one, the. The toughest schedule, and I'll read what he wrote for it, is the Arizona Cardinals. And I thought, well, that doesn't really bode very well for them. They're in a very tough division. You have a brand new head coach, you have a quarterback situation you're trying to mine through and figure out and understand. But here's what he says. There's nothing the schedule makers could have done to keep Arizona from appearing on this list. Although they didn't do the Cardinals any favors by sending them on the road for the first six of their first nine games.

[Dan Bernstein]

That's a lot. That is.

[Matt Abaticola]

I mean, six road games in your first nine. The Cardinals fate was sealed by their mandated double dips with division foes. Yeah, that's tough to begin with. They'll play seven games against teams that logged at least one playoff win last season, and six of those contests come against the NFC west opponents. I mean, what a division they're in, man.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, that's no fun.

[Matt Abaticola]

So the 49ers, Rams, Seahawks haven't done anything this offseason to, to take a major step back. They certainly haven't. It looks they all taken a step forward. The division is not built to give rebuilding teams a soft landing.

[Dan Bernstein]

Right now.

[Matt Abaticola]

There are tough tilts against the Broncos, the Eagles, the Chiefs and the Chargers awaiting new head coach Mike LeFlore. With the latter two matchups on the road, LaFleur is charged with pointing the ship in the right direction in year one. And even if he makes progress on that front, the standings could be a harsh reminder of how far the franchise still must go. Just didn't expect to see that one. As you know, all the talk nationally about the Bears schedule and strength of schedule. If you're an Arizona Cardinals fan, man, that is. That sound very fun right now.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah. And then you got the whole quarterback thing and, and I think you might have hired somebody who isn't ready for the job. You know, that's what I'm wondering.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah.

[Narrator/Story Character]

So.

[Matt Abaticola]

So I, So wait, what do we have? Remind me again because I don't have my notes. Our. The first head coach fired is who?

[Dan Bernstein]

Todd Monkin.

[Matt Abaticola]

You said Todd Monkin. Okay, so our, our guy Todd Monkin is the first guy gone. I, I'm. I might have to slide Michael floor in that spot.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay. I.

[Matt Abaticola]

Because it's not gonna go well. Dude. It's not.

[Dan Bernstein]

The question is what is he made of? Because it could go poorly and he deals with it fine. But the problem, the problem is when you get the kind of. The Broncos guy. Nathan, who was the packers quarterbacks coach? Nathaniel Hackett.

[Matt Abaticola]

Hackett. Yes, yes.

[Dan Bernstein]

Paul Hackett's on Nathaniel Hackett. And where it doesn't go well and then you just, you look up and your headset's on wrong and you go, I don't know what I'm doing. Like, oh, oh, we need to hire a coach to come in and sit above you and actually make coaching decisions.

[Matt Abaticola]

That's okay.

[Dan Bernstein]

Do I get my juice box?

[Matt Abaticola]

And it's.

[Dan Bernstein]

If it goes that way, that's your, that's your old one and doner right there. But sometimes if you've got that, that's, you know, you're, you're a steely eyed missile man, or whatever they call it. Maybe, maybe he'll be able to handle it because it might get ugly.

[Matt Abaticola]

Well, he'll be able to lean on his brother Matt for Advice and the LaFleur boys. I don't, I don't know. It's gonna be, it's gonna be a tough go for the Cardinals. That was not what I expected to see in that list. Just thought I was reading something that we had talked about a lot already in this off season and just putting that together and reading through that, that is. Man, that's going to be a real tough go for the Arizona Cardinals and Mike LaFleur in year one.

[Dan Bernstein]

And that's before all the injuries. That's before anybody.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, yeah. What's coming out of your quarterback room to take the next snap?

[Dan Bernstein]

It could be like Pittsburgh's quarterback room.

[Matt Abaticola]

Oh, no, they're. They're set with, with the Aaron Rodgers, are they. Yeah, they're good to go, man. Okay, he's there. He's there early in the building and OTAs and he's reunited with a guy he tried getting fired for a long time. So it's going to be a great, a great combination.

[Dan Bernstein]

There's nothing like the American Express Platinum card. Find out your welcome offer after you apply, which could be as high as 175,000. Learn more and find out your [e-mail] Explore Platinum terms apply if you work

[Ad Voice 3]

in university maintenance, Grainger considers you an MVP because your playbook ensures your arena is always ready for tip off. And Grainger is your trusted partner, offering the products you need all in one place, from H VAC and plumbing supplies to lighting and more. And all delivered with plenty of time left on the clock. So your team always gets the win. Call 1-800-GRAINGER visit grainger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done.

[Ad Voice 1]

When you manage procurement for multiple facilities, every order matters. But when it's for a hospital system, they matter even more. Grainger gets it and knows there's no time for managing multiple suppliers and no room for shipping delays. That's why Grainger offers millions of of products in fast, dependable delivery so you can keep your facility stocked, safe and running smoothly. Call 1-800-GRAINGER Click grainger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done.

[Dan Bernstein]

And I just. The last thing I can. That I had on my list of important Bears things here is that I think we should note. Kyler Gordon was seen on the field in action, but it's rehab action. Oh man, he's doing injury.

[Matt Abaticola]

No, I haven't.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay, I still haven't seen it either. All we heard was soft tissue.

[Matt Abaticola]

Right.

[Dan Bernstein]

So that would be nice for somebody to ask. I, I don't know if they, they have asked and they just said, well, yeah, we're not going to talk about that right now because we don't have to. It's just a soft tissue injury.

[Matt Abaticola]

Okay, but, but on the field doing injury rehab stuff, I have seen it

[Dan Bernstein]

described as a recurring soft tissue injury. So that could be. Last year was in. I don't remember the order, but I know last year was, was groin, hamstring and calf. So if this, it has to be one of those. If it's recurring, yeah, that.

[Matt Abaticola]

Well, yeah, that's, that's what that means.

[Dan Bernstein]

I don't know if he's using Darren Peterson's creatine or what is causing Some of these issues. But come on, man. Come on, man. Not again. Not because you already got paid and then you disappeared and, and Right.

[Matt Abaticola]

He was the highest paid nickel corner, correct? Yep.

[Dan Bernstein]

In the league. Yeah. I don't know.

[Matt Abaticola]

Then hasn't. Hasn't.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah.

[Matt Abaticola]

I mean the time he was. Don't know if he still is, but. And then it's been since then that he's been injured and done practically nothing for that contract. All right, well, at least he's on the field and I mean, yeah, we can get through the season without getting hurt during pregame warm ups. That would be, that would be cool too.

[Dan Bernstein]

And I know we discussed Logan Jones versus Garrett Bradbury and the battle at center and how Braxton Jones is going to get that first start. You. Jedrick Willis was not on the field in uniform. They're not. I can't stress enough. They're not wearing pads. They're not playing football. They're playing catch. They're running around. So don't look at anything on the line. Even if you are looking at skill positions. They're not wearing pads. So please understand that.

[Matt Abaticola]

There was a name that I saw yesterday, Offensive tackle Reed Hulsky. He was a undrafted free agent that signed with Baltimore two years ago, came out of Miami of Ohio. Yeah, yeah. He won some awards. He helped Mime of Ohio win conference championship. Was it two years ago at the combine. Had a relative athletic score of 9.32. So very high. 6, 6, 300. Ran the 40 and 508. So he got cut by the Giants the other day. So he was undrafted free agent by Baltimore, spent some time with Houston and then the Giants just cut him after they signed Josh Tupu, the veteran defensive lineman. So I don't know where he's at right now, but he might be a guy that had some potential. I don't know, like could be a practice squad guy for a team looking.

[Dan Bernstein]

I was gonna say, you can just stop at. He might be a guy because he might be a guy.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah, he, he, he is a guy. But you know, for a team that has got some questions at, at the tackle position and he played, he had 54 starts and 53 of those came at, at right tackle. So I don't know, it's just, it's just a younger guy to maybe keep an eye on. I don't know where he's going to end up and what practice squad he'll. He'll be on if he never, you know, means anything to an NFL. NFL game. I, I don't know, but it was just something that I saw reading the wires about what, what the Giants did. And then one, one last note I have for you from NFL.com Genero Felice he talked about, had a, had A list of 12 NFL rookies that need to make an impact this season. So I wanted to see and my first thought was yeah, who is it for you? Well, Chicago Bears. Who, who are we thinking?

[Dan Bernstein]

I think the obvious choice is Thienaman because they've already anointed him a starter. And if you say that, yeah, that he's. Yeah, of course he has to have impact. You're starting safety on a team with super bowl aspirations.

[Matt Abaticola]

That's immediately what I thought. So I wanted to scroll down to see if he was there and to see what he had to say. And of course it is. Dylan Fenamin is one of the 12. He says the Bears just led the NFL with 23 interceptions. 19 came from players who are no longer with the team. A big part of that came at safety where the team lost Kevin Byer, Jaquan Brisker and CJ GJ Ryan. Poles did sign Kobe Bryant to plug in one of the safety holes. Then GM spent his first round pick on Dylan Fineman. He offers the kind of versatility that Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen loves to exploit at the position. During his true freshman campaign at Purdue, Thienaman, he was a ball hawking center fielder, had six interception, 12 games. But this past year at Oregon, he flourished in a roll closer to the line of scrimmage, capably filling the box and manning the slot. So questions remain on Chicago's defensive front that, that sucks once again. Yep, always gotta, always gotta get that in.

[Dan Bernstein]

Unanswered questions.

[Matt Abaticola]

But the back end now features a pair of interchangeable playmakers. That's a notable change from last season when Bayard, obviously free safety, Brisker, strong safety, had more defined roles. Allen's undoubtedly in the lab cooking up wicked designs for his new safety duo. He is, I guess, okay, that's what he said. But yeah, of course one of the big storylines of the off season is Dylan Thieman, who as we read earlier here from the Bears Wire, was with the second team defense. That should change. Had a chance for the interception, missed it. And he faced the punishment of push ups.

[Dan Bernstein]

Well, you know, Mike Brown used to do that too. He would occasionally, I remember at the training camps, he would immediately drop down if an interception went through his hands. And he would, he would show you that he felt shame and had to atone for such football sins.

[Matt Abaticola]

Shame on the.

[Dan Bernstein]

Let's also touch base on this is going to be our last chance to talk to you before deadline time of midnight Saturday, right. For the Friday, Saturday there's time for a deal to be done and it may go up until the very end for this Bears Illinois Senate stadium deal. There's nothing new to report today. I am told that there are, that Bears brass are in Springfield right now, that it's not just proxies, it's not just the hired lobbyists, that at the moment that it is being reported that there are bears there right now. The mayor is not. And everyone I've talked to said it's fine that the mayor has decided of all the times because he's weighed in so strongly on this, like, oh, I'm out of here and I'll be in Rome. Okay, awesome, awesome. You have fun. And everybody else is trying to take care of this deal. So we'll see where it goes. A lot of the people involved are sort of hedging their bets right here. There was one quote that Brendan Moore of Illinois Capitol News related Senator Bill Cunningham, who is the point person for the Senate on the mega projects, Bill said yesterday, he said three days is like a lifetime and I still think there's time to get something done if we can get enough support for it. And that coming from Cunningham, who has been less than sanguine compared to some others, that's optimistic for him. And when you start hearing stuff from Buckner and from Cunningham, who are the people involved, and we add that in, we fold it in with what we heard from Governor Pritzker saying they're working on ticky tack little things right now. I'm, I remain optimistic and we haven't heard any change from the most powerful person involved in the negotiations. So I continue to believe that this is slowly and clunkily working its way forward.

[Matt Abaticola]

But as it sits right now, we are approximately 35 hours away from the deadline.

[Dan Bernstein]

Okay, all good. And then we shall hear. And I also. You notice how little we're hearing from Hammond.

[Matt Abaticola]

Well, because it's not real.

[Dan Bernstein]

So you're not hearing anything from that side or from the Bears even, because you're not hearing the Bears like, oh boy, just give us the word. Give us the word or we're going to go to Hammond. They could have gone to Hammond at any point, anytime, anytime during the negotiations.

[Matt Abaticola]

They didn't need to wait for all of this. They didn't know any of this to play out. They could. You know what? Forget it. We're not going to do this, we're going to Hammond. We're taking this offer and this great deal. And this.

[Dan Bernstein]

Yeah, this offer is too good. And this is where we wanted to be the whole time. And this. We can make a whole lot of more money here. We'll pay for the cleanup. We'll. And we don't mind bringing people to a big smelly swamp that is literally built on human. So let's go, Go Bears. We're gonna go get it.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. So we're gonna.

[Dan Bernstein]

At any point. They can do that.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yes, they could. Yeah, they could have already. Yep.

[Dan Bernstein]

And.

[Matt Abaticola]

Yeah. And who knows? Maybe, maybe the passes and maybe, you know, you, you wake up and on, on, you know, Sunday and there's news that the Bears are moving to Hammond because a deal couldn't get struck here in Illinois.

[Dan Bernstein]

Anything is possible, but not anything is probable. Right. So we shall see. I don't have reason to believe that after all of this they would accept that kind of failure. But we'll see how their proxies are functioning in Springfield and what kind of trades can be made and whether or not somewhere the spirit of Big Jim Thompson. And we'll be there shaking people down and pushing people into hallways, grabbing people by the necktie and dragging them around the. The floor of the legislature. It's happened before. I don't think that JB is going to quite go to the mattresses in the way that old Big Jim did. But maybe there will be some, some last second fireworks and we can. Yeah. I'll be watching on socials. I'll be checking with some people after we finish up the the Game seven on Saturday night.

[Matt Abaticola]

All right, and that'll do it. For Forward Progress, a Chicago Bears podcast here on 312 sports

[Dan Bernstein]

for progress is stopped.

[Matt Abaticola]

Forward Progress, a Chicago Bears podcast with Dan Burns and matabeticola on 312 sports. A vacation rental shouldn't come with surprises. It should come with verbo care and 247 life support. If the hot tub's broken, that's a verbo care thing.

[Dan Bernstein]

If my teenager starts calling me Leslie, that's a family thing. Leslie.

[Matt Abaticola]

Verbo Care and 24.

[Dan Bernstein]

7 Life Support.

[Matt Abaticola]

If you know you verbo terms apply. See vrbo.com trust for details.