Bear Digest

Top four Chicago Bears receivers out of practice at a bad time

Rome Odunze, DJ Moore, Olamide Zaccheaus and Luther Burden III all were away from the practice field on Wednesday with a game at Cincinnati Sunday awaiting.
Gene Chamberlain|
Bears wide receivers Rome Odunze (15) and Olamide Zaccheaus celebrate a successful two point conversion against the Raiders.
Bears wide receivers Rome Odunze (15) and Olamide Zaccheaus celebrate a successful two point conversion against the Raiders. | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

A week when the Bears may need to outscore an opponent is already off to a horrendous start.

The Cincinnati Bengals offense puts up points while their defense looks incapable of  stopping anyone.

However, the Bear hardly seem equipped to outscore a team wielding receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins because their own top four wide receivers missed Wednesday's practice.

Wide receiver Rome Odunze has a heel injury, DJ Moore continues battling through a hip injury, Olamide Zaccheaus has a knee injury and Luther Burden III is in the concussion protocol after being injured early in the second half of Sunday's loss at Baltimore.

Also, running back Roschon Johnson (back), defensive end Dominique Robinson (shoulder) and running back D'Andre Swift (groin) were out.

The entire Bears wide receiver corps at practice on Wednesday.
The entire Bears wide receiver corps at practice on Wednesday. | Chicago Bears On SI Photo: Gene Chamberlain

None of the four practiced but the Bears did get one pass receiver back at work as tight end Cole Kmet returned on a limited basis after missing last week's game and practices with a back injury suffered against New Orleans.

When the Bears were at practice on Wednesday, their entire wide receiver corps  including practice squad players, was Devin Duvernay, rookie Jahdae Walker, Maurice Alexander, Mile Boykin and rookie J.P. Richardson.

Moore did have his injury the last two games and played through it by missing practice time early in the week like he did Wednesday.

A surprise at practice was the return on a limited basis of Tyrique Stevenson after he missed last week with a shoulder injury.

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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.