Injuries to Bears' receivers could open the door for two preseason standouts

The Bears have had very odd injury luck (or lack thereof) this season. Whenever they have one player go down, that injury has almost always been followed by another at the same position.

The cornerback room was the first to be afflicted by the phenomena over the first half of the season. Kyle Monangai was later the team's only healthy running back in the Week Nine game against Cincinnati. Then the linebackers got hit hard a few weeks ago. And now, they will be without two starting receivers, Luther Burden III and Rome Odunze, in the biggest game they've played in seven years.

Bears ruled out WRs Rome Odunze and Luther Burden for Saturday night’s game vs. the Packers. pic.twitter.com/VRGCXBuXFo
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 18, 2025

Injuries always test a team's depth, but the way Chicago's injuries have occurred has really put theirs to the test. They've consistently had to rely on third and fourth-string players to hold down the ship.

Luckily for Chicago, their depth has proven to be a major strength. I think there is reason for optimism when it comes to the receiver room, as well.

Full disclosure, I was initially going to only write this article about one receiver, rookie Jahdae Walker, specifically. Then I listened to Ben Johnson's press conference with the media earlier today, and he gave a vote of confidence in the healthy receivers both on the active roster and on the practice squad.

"I've been really pleased with that room," Johnson said. "I think we've got some young guys in there that we were really impressed with throughout training camp that ended up being on the practice squad. If called upon, I think they've done a great job of soaking the offense in over the course of the season. I feel that way about all the guys that are either on the practice squad or have been primarily special teams players at this point."

As far as the special teams comment goes, it's clear that he's referring to Devin Duvernay (who has made a few plays when called upon in recent weeks) and Jahdae Walker. The former's role is expected to expand the most with the injuries to Burden and Odunze, but I think the latter could be a surprising contributor on Saturday night.

I know preseason production isn't much of a precursor for regular-season success, but Walker displayed a real knack for making big plays. Tyson Bagent rode him heavily in the final drive of the preseason finale against Kansas City (when he caught the game-winning touchdown and ended the contest with a big hit on the ensuing kickoff), and he finished the preseason with eight catches for 98 yards and a touchdown.

Expecting the Texas A&M product, who went undrafted in the 2025 NFL Draft, to enjoy a long career where he develops into a valuable contributor is wishful thinking. However, expecting Johnson to scheme up a few plays for Walker is far from out of the question at this point.

Facing a secondary that could be a liability without a quality pass-rush, I really think he could make the most of any targets that come his way.

Meanwhile, the Bears currently have two receivers on their practice squad, JP Richardson and Maurice Alexander. Personally, I think they'll probably call the latter up to the active roster. Like Walker, he was a standout in the preseason, finishing with nine catches for 71 yards.

I think another receiver would probably have to suffer an injury against Green Bay for him to see the field, but the vote of confidence from Johnson indicates that he could play in a pinch if necessary. I could also see a scenario where they call him up to play Duvernay's role in the return game if they foresee him playing more on the offensive side of the ball.

The Bears have been fortunate to have their backups consistently step up when called upon this season. They would be in a much worse spot if their depth weren't as strong as it has proven to be.

They're counting on a few unproven receivers to do the same in a big spot on Saturday night.

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