Bear Digest

Ben Johnson updates status of injured Bears receiver Rome Odunze

The Bears haven't had Rome Odunze for three games due to a foot injury but coach Ben Johnson hasn't given up on getting him back into the offense.
Gene Chamberlain|
Ben Johnson expects to get Rome Odunze back up and playing at some point before the season ends.
Ben Johnson expects to get Rome Odunze back up and playing at some point before the season ends. | Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

Ben Johnson tries to stick to his mantra of going 1-0 this week without looking ahead, but suspended the practice for just a second on Tuesday to address the immediate future for one injured Bears player.

Wide receiver Rome Odunze has been trying to rehab what has been reported as a fracture in his foot and has missed three straight games. However, Johnson seems to be pointing toward the postseason with the second-year Bears pass catcher.

“We’ve been working through his rehab process,” Johnson said. “He’s right on track. He’s going to be in a good spot.”

More specifically, Johnson isn’t viewing this as a long-term injury with a prospect for IR.

 “He’s going to be able to help us this year,” Johnson said.

Johnson had said this same type of thing about injured slot cornerback Kyler Gordon earlier in the week.

Odunze had been the leader in receptions and receiving yards throughout the season, but with last week’s absence DJ Moore has overtaken him for the team lead. Odunze has 44 catches for 661 yards while Moore has 48 receptions for 668 yards. Both have six touchdown receptions.

Odunze tried to come back and aggravated the injury in warmups before the Bears' 28-21 loss on Dec. 7 to Green Bay.

Rookie tight end Colston Loveland is closing in on both now with 42 catches for 528 yards and four TDs.

An injury more pressing now than Odunze’s is the knee injury suffered by slot cornerback C.J. Gardner-Johnson. The slot cornerback can be critical against San Francisco, which loves throwing screen passes to running back Christian McCaffrey or throwing inside to tight end George Kittle.  


“We'll kind of work through that here this week,” Johnson said. “But I don’t think the injury report comes out until tomorrow, so we'll know more then."

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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.