With roughly a week before their trip to North Carolina, Ben Johnson's Chicago Bears continue to lose soldiers. Kyle Monangai isn't practicing, Ozzy Trapillo is working his way back, and Luther Burden III continues to aim for the season opener.
That's why potentially losing D'Andre Swift and Rome Odunze ahead of their Week 1 road matchup with the Carolina Panthers can be a bit of a crisis. There's still no official word on their status, but they couldn't finish practice on Thursday.
According to Adam Hoge of CHGO Bears, Odunze was favoring his right foot and missed most of practice. As for the running back, he left the field near the final period and was spotted limping afterward.
The Bears can't afford to lose more players
“The bad news is that Rome Odunze and D’Andre Swift didn’t finish practice,” Hoge shared on X. “Odunze seemed to be favoring his right foot and left after the walk-through period. Swift got banged up at the beginning of the long-drive period at the end of practice. Hobbled straight to the garage area and we didn’t see him again.”
Odunze struggled with a left foot injury last season. He opened up on how that might be a chronic issue going forward, so watching him now favor his other foot might officially sound the alarms in the Windy City.
As for Swift, the Bears were already down one key soldier in Monangai. If he can't suit up for the opener, Roschon Johnson will have to do most of the heavy lifting, with Zavier Scott and Salvon Ahmed also potentially getting a call-up from the practice squad.
Swift is entering the final year of his contract, and general manager Ryan Poles was open about both parties' desire to extend their partnership. Needless to say, a serious injury could force the organization to rethink its plans with its veteran ball-carrier.
At least, young star Luther Burden III is trending in the right direction and is expected to play after missing time in training camp and the preseason with a groin injury. Rookie Zavion Thomas can also step up with his explosiveness if Odunze has to sit this one out, while Colston Loveland might actually lead the team in targets this season.
The Bears have resources to get by and patch things up on offense, though there are also legitimate concerns at left tackle. Also, they have one of the brightest offensive designers and play-callers on the sidelines.
That said, the NFL season is a long grind, and the injury bug has stung this team pretty badly in the past month or so. The NFC North offers no wiggle room, and this will be a situation to keep a close eye on as the first game of the season is just around the corner.
| More Bears on DaWindyCity |
Add us as a preferred source on Google