Bears Update Rome Odunze’s Status vs. Rams After New Injury

Getty The Bears have added wide receiver Rome Odunze to their Week 4 injury report.

The Chicago Bears have added first-round rookie wide receiver Rome Odunze to their injury report with a new issue, potentially putting his status in jeopardy for Week 4’s home game against the Los Angeles Rams on September 29.

The Bears flagged a new hip injury for Odunze in the second edition of their Week 4 injury report and limited him during September 26’s practice after he participated fully in Wednesday’s first practice of the week.

Since head coach Matt Eberflus did not speak to the media on Thursday, it is unknown whether Odunze’s injury could threaten his game-day status against the Rams.

Odunze is coming off a breakout game in which he caught six passes for 112 yards and his first career touchdown against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 3. The No. 9 overall pick in the 2024 draft has also been playing through a Grade 1 MCL sprain in his knee since Week 1; although, the Bears cleared him on the injury report before Week 3’s loss.

The Bears will have one more practice to determine whether they need to send Odunze into the weekend with an injury designation. If the team has concerns about Odunze’s availability, it could also promote a receiver from the practice squad before game day.

The Bears (1-2) will host the Rams (1-2) at home at 1 p.m. Eastern Time on Sunday.

Rome Odunze Played Through Knee Injury for Bears

The Bears adding Odunze to the injury report with a new issue is slightly concerning, but there isn’t a good reason to start mashing the panic button — at least not yet.

For starters, the Bears have not yet commented on Odunze’s hip injury. Eberflus might coach-speak his way around the topic when reporters ask him about Odunze on Friday, but he could just as easily clear things up with reassurance. Put simply, it is difficult to say whether the injury will affect his playing time until the Bears have said something.

It is also encouraging that the Bears only limited Odunze in Thursday’s practice instead of keeping him from participating completely. That said, it is possible Odunze suffered his hip injury during Thursday’s practice and was limited as a result of not being able to finish. Either way, his injury will draw extra eyes to the final injury report on Friday.

Fortunately for the Bears, Odunze has already played through an injury once before. He did not participate in two of the first three practices after his knee sprain and carried a questionable status in Week 2’s game against the Houston Texans, but he still played nearly every offensive snap for the Bears in the loss, catching two passes for 33 yards.

In other words, Odunze’s toughness might still keep him in play against the Rams in Week 4 even if the Bears list him as questionable to play in their final injury report.

Keenan Allen Remains Limited for Bears at Practice

In more positive injury news, the Bears had veteran wide receiver Keenan Allen (heel) on the practice field in a limited capacity for a second consecutive day on Thursday.

Allen returned to practice for the first time since Week 1 on Wednesday, a sign that he is moving in the right direction with his heel injury that has sidelined him for two games. The six-time Pro Bowler would offer a significant boon to the Bears offense if he can return to the lineup against the Rams on Sunday, especially with Odunze banged up.

The Bears also made several more updates to their Week 4 injury report following their second practice. The team downgraded defensive tackle Andrew Billings (knee) from a limited participant on Wednesday to a non-participant on Thursday and also held out free safety Kevin Byard III with a back issue after he practiced in full on Wednesday.

Additionally, the Bears upgraded star defensive end Montez Sweat (elbow) and right guard Nate Davis (groin) from limited participants to full participants and right tackle Darnell Wright (back) from a non-participant to a limited participant for Thursday.

Everyone else’s status remained the same except for Marcedes Lewis, who received his routine veteran rest day on Thursday and did not participate in the day’s practice.