LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson holds press conferences before every other training camp practice. Super early in the morning, as a matter of fact.

So, when he was asked Thursday morning about second-round draft pick Luther Burden III’s performance upon return from a hamstring injury, Johnson was reflecting on previous sessions of uneven performance. And he still said this:

“He’s still working on the alignment and the details as you would expect for a young player,” Johnson said, “but the play speed jumped off the tape to us all.”

Imagine what he would’ve said after watching Burden put on a show during Thursday’s extended practice in pads, focusing on team drills.

The rookie wide receiver had five catches while working with quarterbacks Caleb Williams and Tyson Bagent, and they were all a little bit different.

Burden caught his first while running across the field, bringing in the football with his fingertips before stepping out of bounds. Then Bagent connected with Burden deep down the right sideline after he zoomed past veteran safety Jonathan Owens.

Bagent found Burden twice more in key moments, including one pass that the rookie caught before he tiptoed down the sideline while staying in bounds, though his separation ability was evident all day.

“It definitely builds confidence, not even just me but with the coaches, the play-caller, the quarterback giving me the ball and everybody on the team, seeing me go out there and make plays against guys,” Burden said in a Thursday press conference. “It was great.”

It came just a few days after he returned from prolonged absence because of a hamstring injury. There were some uneven moments after that, including one when Johnson pulled him from a practice rep because of an alignment or motion.

He made a nice catch Wednesday — it was not, in any way, a touchdown — but nothing compared to a Thursday showing during a practice that Johnson said was a huge deal.

It also was just one day. But it dared fans to dream about Burden’s impact on this Bears offense. He’ll have to repeat that over and over again while continuing to play catch-up after so much time away from practice.

Burden wasn’t frustrated by the downtime — injuries happen in this game — but he did try to maximize it.

“I feel like I’m just learning every day, every day I’m in the building I’m just trying to learn, be a sponge and just get better each and every day,” Burden said. “That’s the goal for me and everybody in this building.”

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Johnson has said a few times that Burden is a bit behind. That’s unavoidable, considering the time he missed, but Burden believes repetition is the only way to make up for lost time and understand a scheme he’s really learning to like.

“I feel like I can do everything in his offense,” Burden said. “I’m just really trying to get my feet wet, get situated on the field and learn by playbook really. I feel like everything else will take care of itself.”

Burden still is trying to earn a role on a team with a super competitive receiver room. DJ Moore and Rome Odunze have roles on the outside. Olamide Zaccheaus is the type of veteran who always shows up and has found a way to contribute to every team he’s been on. Plus, tight ends Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet occasionally will man receiver spots outside and in the slot.

So, in sum, opportunities must be consistently earned by doing what’s required to learn Johnson’s offense and win on the practice field.

“That’s what this league is about, winning your one-on-ones,” Burden said. “If you can win your one-on-ones consistently, you’ll be in this league a long time.”