All eyes have been on second-year wideout Rome Odunze as the Chicago Bears prepare for their Week 18 clash against the rival Detroit Lions. With head coach Ben Johnson having no plans to give his starters a break this week, Bears fans have been wondering if Odunze — who's missed four straight games with a foot fracture — will be healthy enough to help his teammates in their quest for the NFC's No. 2 seed.
Odunze opened the week with back-to-back missed practices on Wednesday and Thursday, leaving him with a murky outlook. Fortunately, things took a turn for the better on Friday, when the Chicago Tribune's Sean Hammond reported that Odunze was a limited participant in the latest practice, leaving him with a 'Questionable' tag for Sunday's action.
Odunze's return, even if limited, is a massive boost for the Bears right before the playoffs. At the same time, it leaves Johnson & Co. with somewhat of a dilemma this weekend.
Bears Might Have to Sit Rome Odunze Despite Positive Injury News
Even though they're gunning for a win and playing their starters against the Lions, the Bears might want to reconsider playing Odunze this weekend. As much as he helps the offense, especially when it comes to drawing attention away from DJ Moore and Luther Burden III, rushing him back into the lineup two days after returning to practice might not be a great idea.
Yes, Odunze could use the reps to get back into game shape, but there's also a chance he could aggravate his injury. Foot fractures are tricky ailments to overcome, and the fact that the former 2024 first-rounder is still limited suggests that he isn't fully healed. The last thing the Bears need is for him to get hurt while playing a starter's workload against the Lions, whose coaches and players are desperate to end their failed season on a high note by any means necessary.
That isn't to say that Odunze shouldn't play at all. Some actual in-game snaps could do him some good after being held to seven catches and 102 touchdown-less yards on 21 targets in his last three games before his injury. That's only 2.3 receptions and 34 yards per outing, which is a far cry from the 4.1 catches and 62.1 yards he averaged in his first nine games, along with the six TDs in that span.
With that in mind, a lighter-than-usual workload for Odunze is something the Bears must explore. Whether that's limiting him to just the first quarter or a handful of snaps in each frame, Chicago needs to keep the ex-Washington Huskies WR as fresh as possible for a (hopefully) deep postseason run. A limited workload vs. Detroit would help accomplish that while also shaking off any rust.
Figuring out what to do with Odunze this week is just another example of the conundrums Johnson has been forced to handle in Year 1 with the Bears. The good news is that he's done a tremendous job of navigating Chicago's previous issues, creating a sense of optimism that he'll do right by Odunze this weekend.