‘I plan on playing’: Odunze questionable but is optimistic he’ll suit up for Bears opener
Chicago Bears receiver Rome Odunze was again a limited participant in practice Friday and has been listed as questionable for Sunday’s season opener against the Carolina Panthers.
Odunze injured his right calf last week in practice. He sat out practice Monday and Tuesday before returning to the practice field Thursday and Friday in a limited fashion.
Coach Ben Johnson said the Bears would finalize a plan for Odunze later in the day Friday after practice.
“Our plan was to get him (to) practice yesterday and today, and we’ll assess where he’s at after that,” Johnson said Friday morning. “He’s looked good from my perspective, but we also got a long season coming up on us and we want to do what’s right for him for the long term as well.”
Odunze said he feels “great” and was optimistic that he will play Sunday.
“I’m feeling ready to go,” Odunze said. “I doubt I’m questionable. I know there’s a way everybody goes about things, but I feel pretty good. I was out there today (in practice). I plan on playing.”
Additionally, the Bears listed backup quarterback Tyson Bagent (back), offensive tackle Ozzy Trapilo (knee) and safety Xavier Woods (groin) as questionable. Trapilo and Woods were limited participants in practice. Bagent did not participate in practice Friday.
If Bagent is sidelined, 38-year-old veteran quarterback Case Keenum would serve as the backup to Caleb Williams. Keenum has appeared in 80 career regular-season games, but he has not played in the regular season since 2023 as a member of the Houston Texans.
The Bears, of course, hope they won’t need their backup quarterback with Williams set to start Year 3. Williams has been durable over his first two seasons, starting all 17 games in 2024 and 2025.
But the Bears still need to have their contingency plans, and Sunday against the Panthers it could be Keenum as the backup. The Bears don’t have any other quarterbacks on the roster or practice squad.
Bagent dealt with a hamstring injury during training camp but was healthy for the final preseason game two weeks ago. His back injury appears to be something new. He participated in practice as recently as Tuesday.
At safety, Woods’ groin injury could be relevant to the defensive game plan this week. Woods had been trending toward starting at safety in the final weeks of training camp. The Bears also have an experienced veteran in Cam Lewis available at the position.
Trapilo isn’t likely to play this week and has yet to participate in team drills after recovering from a January knee injury.
As for Odunze, if he’s unable to go Sunday, that could lead to more opportunities for the remaining receivers.
“We always have contingency plans going into it,” offensive coordinator Press Taylor said this week. “That’s our job. That’s what we’re supposed to do. So if something happens and they say he’s full-go on Sunday, he can’t go on Sunday, we’re ready for that. That’s our job to be prepared for that as best we can.”
Luther Burden III is fully healthy after missing some time during training camp with a groin injury. Kalif Raymond, Jahdae Walker and Zavion Thomas are likely to see action. The Bears have three receivers on the practice squad whom they could call up for game day: Kaden Davis, Scotty Miller and J.P. Richardson.
Last year, Odunze missed the final five regular-season games with a foot injury. But before the calf injury last week, he had been fully healthy throughout training camp.
“Coming off last year, you hate to have injuries,” Odunze said. “So through the offseason and through this training camp I’ve been healthy, and I think you can’t take those things for granted. Being healthy is definitely a big priority, and it’s been a priority for me over this training camp and going into this game. I’m super excited with where I’m at and I’m hopeful that it will continue all season long.”