Bear Digest

Bears Friday Injury Report: Two Ruled Out for Texans Game

UPDATES WITH TEXANS REPORT: Bears receiver Rome Odunze recovered from a knee injury enough to get in a limited practice Friday and Keenan Allen sat out a third straight practice.
Gene Chamberlain|
Keenan Allen's health is a concern as the Bears head into the weekend and their first road game with Houston.
Keenan Allen's health is a concern as the Bears head into the weekend and their first road game with Houston. | Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK

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Chicago Bears

The Bears will go into the weekend not certain yet who they'll have chasing Caleb Williams' passes because of their injuries at wide receiver.

Rookie Rome Odunze and veteran Keenan Allen are questionable to face the Houston Texans Sunday night, but Odunze was a surprise participant in Friday's practice on a limited basis with his knee injury. Allen missed his third straight practice with a heel injury.

The Bears have a little extra time to get players ready this week because they do not play until 7:20 p.m. on Sunday. It's possible they could have an updated injury report on Saturday for both receivers.

"We're going to take it all the way up to the game to see if they can go," coach Matt Eberflus said.

Allen's injury dates back to the week after the final preseason game, and at the time GM Ryan Poles had called in minor foot soreness resulting from a problem with his cleats.

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"It was just something that happened in training camp with the heel," Eberflus said. "And that was really it. So it's just been progressing, then it took a step back and then we just wanted to give it some rest and that's really what the idea of this week was just to rest and let it heal and let it feel good so he was able to move and cut and do the things he does."

Eberflus characterized it as an injury aggravated in the first game.

To get Allen playing, they need to see "...movement and acceleration and him being him."

Two Bears players have been ruled out due to injuries. Guard Ryan Bates (shoulder/elbow) and fullback Khari Blasingame (hand/knee) both missed practice Thursday and Friday and will miss the game. Bates played the most snaps at right guard last week after he missed a major chunk of preseason with an injury.

Defensive end DeMarcus Walker is questionable but went through a full practice Friday after a foot injury had limited his participation on Thursday and kept him out of practice on Wednesday.

Defensive tackle Zacch Pickens was healed earlier in the week from a groin injury and had full practices Thursday and Friday so he has been removed from the injury report and will play for the first time this season.

For the Texans, linebacker M.J. Stewart is out (knee) but tight end Dalton Schultz was back at work and will play after suffering an ankle injury. Also, Houston did place reserve cornerback Jeff Okudah on injured reserve. Running back Dameon Pierce (hamstring) and lineman Jack Scruggs (groin) are questionable.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.