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The Chicago Bears might need another wide receiver in the short-term as Rome Odunze battles an MCL sprain, but they must also consider the future of the position in the context of Keenan Allen.
Allen is in the final season of his contract and looking for a new multiyear deal. However, he has a concerning injury history over the past couple of campaigns and battled a heel issue during the preseason. It was also a heel injury that cost the wideout the final four games of 2023.
The NFL Scouting Department at Bleacher Report suggested on Tuesday, September 10, that if the Bears don’t bring Allen back in 2o25, they should target former Cincinnati Bengals receiver and current Tennessee Titans pass catcher Tyler Boyd to replace him.
“The organization might be hesitant to re-sign Keenan Allen this offseason. Allen turns 33 in April and will likely be looking for one more big payday. Also, the club spent a first-round pick on Rome Odunze, who would ideally become the offense’s WR2 next year,” B/R wrote. “So, adding a receiver like Boyd to operate out of the slot and be the team’s No. 3 WR could be enticing.”
Boyd signed a one-year, $2.4 million contract with the Titans this offseason after playing out his four-year, $43 million agreement with Cincinnati in 2023.
As of Tuesday the Bears have roughly $52 million in projected salary cap space for 2025, while Boyd’s market value is less than $8 million annually over a new two-year deal, according to Spotrac.
Tyler Boyd Could Prove Quality Third Option in Bears WR Room
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GettyFormer Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd.
Boyd was the third wideout for Bengals QB Joe Burrow behind Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins for the last three years and knows quite well the role that Bleacher Report suggested for him in Chicago.
The wideout produced seasons between 650 and 850 yards receiving in each of the past three campaigns and caught 12 total TDs over that span, per Pro Football Reference. He served as a key cog in a dynamic passing game in Cincinnati that led the team to two consecutive AFC Championship Games following the 2021 and 2022 seasons, including a trip to the Super Bowl in 2022.
Boyd amassed two years of 1,000-plus yards in 2018 and 2019 when he had a bigger role in the offense, before Higgins and Chase came along.
Rome Odunze Could Be Back on Field for Bears in Week 2
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GettyWide receiver Rome Odunze of the Chicago Bears.
For B/R’s theoretical future to become a reality in Chicago, Odunze must develop into a legitimate No. 2 option. That will be more difficult the more time he misses with his current knee injury.
Odunze is technically week to week, though head coach Matt Eberflus said on Tuesday that the receiver has a chance to be back on the field for the team’s Week 2 matchup with the Houston Texans on Sunday Night Football.
“He has an MCL sprain and it’s a day-to-day deal,” Eberflus told the “Rich Eisen Show,” per Bleacher Report. “So we’ll see where he is tomorrow, on Wednesday, and what’s going on there. We’ll reassess it as we go. It’s day-to-day. I know he’s a super tough guy.”