Getty Wide receiver Rome Odunze of the Chicago Bears.
The Chicago Bears are proceeding with caution where wide receiver Rome Odunze is concerned.
Rookie minicamp has just begun, but Odunze sat out practice on Saturday, May 11, due to a disconcerting issue involving his hamstring.
Bears rookie WR Rome Odunze has hamstring tightness and will sit out of today’s rookie camp practice.
“Bears rookie WR Rome Odunze has hamstring tightness and will sit out of today’s rookie camp practice,” Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune reported via X.
Bears Can Cite Recent NFL Precedent to Justify Sidelining Rome Odunze for Extended Period if Necessary
GettyChicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze and quarterback Caleb Williams.
Wiederer’s report doesn’t mean Odunze is injured or that he will miss any amount of significant time. That said, hamstring issues are notoriously temperamental and can linger.
They are particularly problematic for wideouts, as evidenced by Justin Jefferson’s situation with the Minnesota Vikings last season. Jefferson strained his hamstring against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 5, and Minnesota kept its star receiver sidelined for eight weeks (seven games and a bye) to be certain he didn’t re-aggravate the muscle and miss even more time.
Odunze literally just began his career in Chicago, and the team has months to get him up to speed and ready to play Week 1 in early September. All practice time is valuable time during the offseason, especially for a rookie with huge expectations and excitement surrounding his professional debut.
But even despite that, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Bears ratchet up from run-of-the-mill caution to extreme caution and choose to keep Odunze sidelined for multiple days, or even the rest of rookie minicamp and beyond, considering his status as the No. 9 pick in this year’s NFL draft as well as the running mate of fellow rookie and No. 1 overall selection quarterback Caleb Williams.
Bears May Have Best Trio of WRs in NFL After Drafting Rome Odunze
GettyWide receiver Rome Odunze of the Chicago Bears.
Odunze represents an embarrassment of riches in Chicago’s receiver room, where he joins DJ Moore and Pro Bowler Keenan Allen heading into the 2024 campaign.
Allen made 108 catches for 1,243 yards and 7 TDs for the Los Angeles Chargers in 2023, while Moore put up a career year with 96 grabs, 1,364 yards and 8 TDs. Odunze dominated at the collegiate level in 2023, leading the FBS with 1,640 receiving yards, which he amassed across 92 catches that included 13 TDs.
Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report on May 9 proclaimed Chicago’s receivers the best in the NFL heading into the 2024 season after acquiring the trio of Moore, Allen and Odunze over the past two years.
A shocking squad takes the top spot, with the Chicago Bears legitimately piecing together an elite group of wide receivers this offseason.
Odunze’s inclusion creates a complementary group of targets. Moore has always been at his best creating at the catch. Allen will work the short to intermediate portions of the field with efficient and reliable routes. The incoming rookie is a big target and legitimate vertical threat. Tyler Scott’s big-play potential can be thrown into the mix for good measure.
Two years ago, the Bears fielded arguably the league’s worst group of wide receivers. Now, they’re on the verge of claiming the best once they’re on the field and working together.
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Rome Odunze Misses Bears Practice After Disconcerting News