Bears say rookie wide receiver Odunze is day-to-day with knee injury, opt not to put him on IR
Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze is expected to be “day-to-day” with a knee injury, Bears coach Matt Eberflus said Wednesday at Halas Hall.
It seems to be good news, all thing considered, for the rookie No. 9 overall draft pick. Eberflus is hopeful that Odunze will be back sooner, rather than later.
Odunze appeared to have his leg rolled up on while blocking during a play late in Sunday’s win over the Tennessee Titans. One play later, Odunze walked off the field with a slight limp, but he still spoke with members of the media after the game.
“When you have somebody fall on your leg like that, it’s always fortunate that it’s not that serious,” Eberflus said Wednesday. “Very lucky that way. Very fortunate.”
Odunze confirmed on Wednesday that he’s dealing with an MCL sprain. Speaking prior to practice at Halas Hall, Odunze said he felt a “pop” in his knee and asked the trainer to take a look at it.
“I knew something wasn’t necessarily right,” Odunze said. “I usually try and walk things off, see how it feels. So I played the next play and [I] was on a block and it didn’t feel right.”
Odunze did not participate in practice Wednesday.
The fact that Odunze isn’t going on injured reserve is a great sign. Players placed on injured reserve must miss at least four games. By not placing Odunze on IR, the Bears are signaling that they’re hopeful he’ll return sooner than that.
The Bears selected Odunze eight spots after drafting Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick. Odunze led FBS football in receiving yards with more than 1,600 yards at Washington last season.
On Sunday, Odunze had one catch in his NFL debut – and it was a weird one.
Odunze caught a tipped pass that was originally intended for teammate DJ Moore. A defender blocked the pass, popping it high into the air. Odunze grabbed the free football, but then took a huge hit and fumbled. Thankfully, lineman Teven Jenkins was there to recover the football.
“That’s not how I drew up my first NFL reception, but that’s the game of football,” Odunze said after the game on Sunday. “You never know what’s going to happen. You always want to be there to make a play and I was there to make a play and messed up a little bit by getting blasted and losing it.”
Wednesday injury report
Odunze (knee), receiver Keenan Allen (heel) and defensive end DeMarcus Walker (foot) did not practice Wednesday.
The following players were limited participants in practice: offensive tackle Kiran Amegadjie (quad), guard Ryan Bates (shoulder/elbow), fullback Khari Blasingame (hand/knee) and defensive tackle Zacch Pickens (groin).