Rome Odunze and D’Andre Swift exit Chicago Bears practice with apparent injuries

Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze and running back D’Andre Swift left practice early Thursday with apparent injuries.

Odunze exited with a member of the training staff after coming up hobbling during an install period near the beginning of practice. He appeared to be dealing with a right leg or foot injury.

Odunze didn’t seem overly worried at first. He attempted to stay in practice for the following period before the trainers pulled him off, and he walked off the field under his own power.

Swift exited toward the end of practice during a full-team period. After carrying the ball on first-and-10 from the offense’s 1-yard line, he came off the field holding his midsection or core area.

The apparent injuries come just 10 days before the Sept. 13 season opener against the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte, N.C.

Odunze, the No. 9 draft pick in 2024, comes into the season with big expectations on his shoulders after the Bears traded away DJ Moore in the offseason.

Odunze and Luther Burden III are expected to be the top two wide receivers. Odunze led the Bears in 2025 with 90 targets and was on track to flirt with 1,000 receiving yards before a fracture in his foot sidelined him for five games down the stretch. He finished the regular season with 44 catches for 661 yards and six touchdowns in 12 games.

Odunze said in the spring he was adjusting to a“new normal” after last year’s injury, noting that his foot might not feel the same as before the injury. But this summer he clarified those comments and said his foot feels “great” and he doesn’t think about the injury when he’s on the field.

Coach Ben Johnson was not made available to the media Thursday, so he couldn’t comment on Odunze’s new injury or on Swift’s. Johnson had praised Odunze’s efforts throughout training camp just two days earlier.

“Mr. Consistency. I know the dialogue about his foot and all that, and yet you didn’t see any setback from that regard,” Johnson said Tuesday. “I thought he looked completely healthy. I showed a highlight of him to the team just the other day, cracking one of the safeties in the joint practice. That inspires me to, not want to get him the football, but I need to get him the football when I see things like that.

“He’s doing all the little things, the things that maybe other people don’t notice and the coaching staff is very appreciative of because it’s going to help us win games. He’s going to be a key cog in what we do.”

Swift had said Wednesday that he felt like he had “a complete camp.” The Bears have been without running back Kyle Monangai since he hyperextended his knee Aug. 16.

“Feels like one of my better camps as far as stacking days, being consistent and things like that,” Swift said Wednesday. “Yeah, just ready for Week 1.”

Johnson won’t address the media again until next week, and the team isn’t required to provide an official injury report until Wednesday.

The Bears were without Odunze for most of a long, physical practice Thursday.

“I don’t know what’s going on, but it’s definitely an adjustment because you get in the huddle and you’re like, wait, where’s one-five,” wide receiver Kalif Raymond said after practice, referring to Odunze’s No. 15 jersey. “So it’s an adjustment, but also we’re praying that he’s OK. I haven’t talked to him just yet.”

Seen and heard

On the first play of a 7-on-7 period, safety Xavier Woods tipped Caleb Williams’ pass and Tyrique Stevenson hauled in the carom for an interception.

Later, Williams missed on a deep-ball opportunity by throwing too late. Jahdae Walker ran free up the left sideline and signaled for the ball. By the time the pass arrived, it was a jump-ball situation for Walker and safety Dillon Thieneman, and neither came down with it. Walker screamed an expletive and Thieneman did push-ups for missing the interception.

On the next play, Williams lobbed a bomb deep left to Raymond, who held on despite being bracketed by Thieneman and Woods. Raymond was pumped while the two safeties looked dejected.

The defense gave up some splash plays but also forced stalemates several times. A few resulted in what might’ve been coverage sacks in a tackle situation, while other times Williams and backup Tyson Bagent ran keepers. On a third down at the 15-yard line, Williams tucked the ball and weaved his way into the end zone.

Practice was marked by several drops, including ones by wide receivers Zavion Thomas, Burden and Raymond.

Bagent completed a pass to Thomas to get the ball in the red zone, then yelled, “Attack, attack,” to hurry the offense. Practice ended on an end-zone shot to Kaden Davis that Josh Blackwell broke up.

Injuries and participation

In positive injury news, defensive end Austin Booker (groin) returned for the first time since the Aug. 20 joint practice in Cincinnati.

“(He’s) a guy who takes care of his body really well,” linebacker T.J. Edwards said of Booker. “He wants to be on the field more than anybody, and he’s a guy who we’re really going to count on.”

Monangai (knee) and linebacker D’Marco Jackson (undisclosed) remained out.

The running backs group was looking thin by the end of practice. During the last full-team period, Salvon Ahmed, running with the second unit, was slow to get up after a reception from Bagent. After two more catches, he gingerly trotted to the sideline.

Roschon Johnson’s day was done after taking over for Swift, so practice squad newcomer Zavier Scott handled carries for the final series.