Windy City Gridiron

Wide receiver waived/injured by the Bears yesterday; cleared waivers and reverted to Chicago's Reserve/Injured list; remains on injured reserve and unavailable for roster consideration.

Rookie receiver Zavion Thomas, who has made a few splashes with his speed in camp, is dealing with a day-to-day knee injury that could affect his early-season availability.

Luther Burden, arguably the biggest offensive star of camp in the early going, has a groin injury that could hamper him all the way up until Week 1, creating uncertainty around his availability for the regular season opener.

Caleb Williams is expected to play in his lone preseason drive against Cleveland, with the source noting that a touchdown pass from him would be welcome but not essential given the priority on player health.

Cole Kmet was involved in the play where Coby Bryant suffered his knee injury during the first day of padded practices; Bryant came down awkward after getting tangled up with the 6'6", 257 tight end, providing context for the injury mechanism and Kmet's physical presence in practice.

Kalif Raymond has consistently been the WR3 when the Bears run 11 personnel (1 RB/1 TE), establishing a defined role in the Bears' offensive package.

Bears starting QB played in preseason weeks two and three last year under current scheme; head coach Ben Johnson's approach to preseason reps is expected to continue this season, with decision on starters' participation in Saturday's preseason opener against Cleveland still pending.

Kyron Hudson was waived by the Bears as they signed veteran receiver Ray-Ray McCloud, indicating a roster move that removes Hudson from the depth chart.

Ray-Ray McCloud was signed by the Bears to bolster their wide receiver depth. The source notes he has had success in Atlanta both as a receiver and returner, providing the Bears with versatility in their receiving corps.

Luther Burden suffered a groin injury on Saturday that will keep him out for the remainder of the preseason, but he is expected to return by Week 1. He was observed walking around without a limp at Monday's practice, which is a positive sign for his recovery timeline.

Will easily be the best QB in Bears history when all is said and done, surpassing Sid Luckman's 80-year reign at the top. Demonstrates the kind of generational talent that warrants immediate contract extension without hesitation.

Contract extension recommendation: Bears should extend immediately (Cash). Projected deal structure: 5 years, $310 million ($62M AAV), with $155 million fully guaranteed and $240 million total guarantees. This would give Caleb second-highest annual average salary and third-highest total value contract in NFL. Source expects Caleb to demand $65M per season initially but settle in the $62M range if Bears go north of Dak Prescott's deal ($60M) but below Patrick Mahomes ($64M). Bears prefer 5-year term for longer price lock; Caleb prefers 4-year for sooner renegotiation. Guarantees structure allows Bears to split funds across multiple occasions via escrow mechanics.

Ranked 10th best QB in the NFL after two seasons by NFL Network's Top 100, Jeremy Fowler's poll, and Mike Sando's QB Tiers (11th); has a chance to push toward top 5 QB by end of season; demonstrates late-game heroics, generational talent, strong relationship with Ben Johnson, and huge leap from year one to year two.

Starting wide receiver Luther Burden III suffered a groin injury during Saturday's practice but is anticipated to return to the Bears for their regular season opener against the Panthers.

Undrafted rookie wide receiver Kyron Hudson was waived with an injury designation as a corresponding move to the Bears' signing of Ray-Ray McCloud III. Hudson suffered an injury during Saturday's practice that prompted his removal from the session.

McCloud signed with the Bears as a veteran wide receiver entering his ninth NFL season. In 2024 with the Falcons, he recorded 62 catches for 686 yards and 1 touchdown, ranking No. 68 among 90 qualified wide receivers in PFN WR Impact Scoring. He has primarily served as a backup wide receiver and return specialist throughout his career, though he has taken a higher percentage of offensive snaps out wide in each of his last four seasons compared to his earlier slot-focused role.

Zavion Thomas, who left practice the previous day, was spotted at the walk-through and does not appear to have much of a limp at all, suggesting minimal injury severity or rapid recovery.

Burden was among injured players signing autographs at the walk-through practice and notably seemed to be walking relatively normally despite his injury status, suggesting positive recovery trajectory.

Tight end received positive commentary from Albert Breer in his training camp notebook, indicating favorable early impressions of his role in the Bears offense.

Quarterback received positive commentary from Albert Breer in his training camp notebook, contributing to an overall positive assessment of the Bears offense heading into the season.

Wide receiver expected to miss the preseason due to a strained groin injury suffered Saturday, but the Bears believe he should be back for the regular-season opener vs. the Panthers; given his importance to the offense and strong offseason performance, the source notes the Bears may be extra cautious with his return.

Rookie wide receiver who left practice with a knee injury; ESPN's Courtney Cronin reports he is dealing with soreness and is likely day-to-day in recovery, with expectation he should not be out long, preserving his preseason and joint practice reps.

Rookie receiver Zavion Thomas exited practice Sunday with an apparent leg injury during training camp.

WR Luther Burden III is expected to be out "a little bit of time" after getting tangled with CB Tyrique Stevenson during Saturday practice; injury occurred during training camp amid a wave of defensive injuries affecting the Bears roster.

Burden, 22, put together an impressive rookie campaign in 2025 as a second-round pick out of Missouri with 47 catches for 652 yards and two touchdowns. He was particularly efficient in the second half of the season; his 17-game pace from Week 10 onwards would have seen him surpass 1,000 receiving yards. Per Pro Football Network, he led the NFL with 4.6 yards of separation per catch and tied for the second-most yards after catch per reception among wide receivers with 7.1.

Bears WR Luther Burden III suffered a groin injury in practice on Saturday and is expected to miss about a month; the organization hopes he will be ready for Week 1 against the Panthers on Sep. 13. He will miss the entirety of preseason and rest of training camp but is unlikely to miss much or any regular season time. The source notes this is a favorable outcome given the alternative.

Backup quarterback hit Kaden Davis for a 60-yard touchdown, with much of that yardage coming from yards after catch.

Rookie wide receiver went down with a knee injury and did not return to practice.

Wide receiver was not at practice today.

Running back is having a strong camp to date. He looks good with strong burst and vision, sealing a win during a situational 4-minute offense period with two chunk runs.

Tight end was on fire at the end of a team drill with the second-team offense alongside Tyson Bagent. He also gave Ruben Hyppolite coverage problems during practice.

Quarterback faced significant pressure from defensive coordinator Dennis Allen's blitzes, which gave him and the offense plenty of problems in one team period. He also threw an interception to Tyrique Stevenson in a drill and was picked off by Xavier Woods on an extended play.

Tight end was targeted in practice; Ruben Hyppolite sniffed out a screen pass to him and made the tackle. Also caught a pass from Tyson Bagent during practice.

Rookie wide receiver worked with the starters at receiver with Luther Burden out. Earlier in practice, he caught a deep 61-yard touchdown from Caleb Williams.

Wide receiver caught a long touchdown from Tyson Bagent with a nice catch in coverage at the end of practice. Also caught a 60-yard touchdown from Case Keenum earlier in practice, with much of that yardage coming from yards after catch.

Backup quarterback had strong moments in team drills, hitting Kaden Davis for a long touchdown at the end of practice with a well-placed ball. Also connected with Colston Loveland on a play during practice.

Ian Rapoport reported that Luther Burden III has a groin injury and should miss a little bit of time. The injury occurred during practice when Tyrique Stevenson got tangled up with Burden.

Matt Forte is mentioned by the source as a Hall of Fame candidate who impacted the game. Erik Duerrwaechter acknowledges 'Matt Forte and Lance Briggs impacted the game in their own ways, too,' positioning Forte among candidates with legitimate Hall of Fame arguments, though the crew ultimately prioritizes Tillman's game-changing impact.

WR was one of three players working on catching punts during the punt drill.

WR was one of three players working on catching punts during the punt drill; fumbled one of his catch attempts.