Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze seems to have every intention of playing against the Green Bay Packers in the wild-card round of the playoffs.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Odunze has been recovering from a stress fracture in his left foot that sidelined him for the final five games of the regular season and forced the Bears to punch their playoff ticket without one of their top playmakers.
He initially played through the pain for several weeks after injuring his foot in October, but he missed his first career game in Week 14 and then had a setback during pregame warmups before Week 15’s game that prompted the team to shut him down for longer.
Throughout Odunze’s injury, though, the Bears have expressed optimism that keeping him out in recent weeks would improve his chances of playing for them in the playoffs. And according to Odunze himself, that is still very much the plan against the Packers.
“I’m planning on playing, but I’ve been planning on playing for weeks,” Odunze said after practice on Wednesday, January 8, via The Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs.
Rome Odunze Was Breaking Out Before Foot Injury
The Bears have managed in the passing game without Odunze in the lineup, but getting him back on the field against the Packers would provide a massive boost — especially if he manages to pick back up right where he left off when he first injured his left foot.
Odunze was on track for a second-year breakout with the Bears before his foot injury, having become a clear focal point of head coach Ben Johnson’s new offensive system. He caught 20 passes for 296 yards and five touchdowns in his first four games alone and was still the team’s leader in receptions (44), receiving yards (661) and targets (90) heading into Week 16’s game against the Packers — after he’d missed two games.
Even if Odunze is not back to full strength, he can help against the Packers.
The question now is whether the Bears will clear Odunze. He returned to practice for the first time in three weeks on January 2 for Week 18’s final walkthrough for Detroit and has maintained his limited participation through the first two practice days of the wild-card round; although, the Bears have only held one practice in the short week.
The Bears must decide whether Odunze will carry an injury designation into the wild-card game against the Packers after January 8’s final practice, but they can also wait to make any decisions about his status until game day, so long as they don’t rule him out.
Will Bears Have All WRs Available Against Packers?
While the status of Odunze is bound to draw the most attention, the Bears also have a few other receivers they must clear from the injury report before playing the Packers.
The Bears have listed veteran wide receiver DJ Moore as a limited participant for each of their first two practice days after adding him to the injury report with a knee injury at the start of the week. While he will have Thursday’s practice to earn a clean bill of health, the Bears could rule him questionable on the injury report if he remains limited.
The Bears also have undrafted rookie wide receiver Jahdae Walker — who has taken on a larger role in the last month — on the injury report with an illness, but that seems to be trending in the right direction. He went from an estimated non-participant on Tuesday to a full participant in Wednesday’s first actual practice for the Packers.
No other Bears wide receivers are listed on the injury report.
Bears WR Rome Odunze Gives Injury Update Ahead of Packers Showdown