UPDATE: Rome Odunze sprained his MCL, and is considered week-to-week, according to various reports.
The Bears’ rookie wideout got rolled up on late in the fourth quarter of the win against the Titans while setting a block on the outside. The first-rounder was held to just one catch in his debut and struggled to make an impact against the Tennessee secondary.
With Keenan Allen also on the injury report, it’s apparent Chicago hopes to get Odunze to full strength quickly to help bolster their struggling passing attack. —Xaiver Aguiar
September 9: According to Bears HC Matt Eberflus, there are some rather serious health concerns with one of Rome Odunze’s knees after Sunday’s game against the Titans. The team plans to administer an MRI to the rookie wideout on Monday. Eberflus said, per Courtney Cronin of ESPN, that a member of his staff informed him that the injury happened on a blocking play.
We’ll be providing more updates here at DraftKings Network as this situation develops.
Meanwhile—this, obviously, is a devastating blow to a Bears offense whose 2024 identity was set to orbit entirely among their two 2024 first-round draft picks: QB Caleb Williams and Odunze. The rapport between Williams and Odunze has been much-ballyhooed. The infamous off-platform pitch-and-catch for 45 yards in preseason Week 2. It wasn’t exactly apparent yesterday,
It’s an example of just how fickle football is: Bears fans left yesterday’s win with trepidations about both Keenan Allen’s and D.J. Moore’s health. Both got a bit banged up by the Titans in Week 1, but never fully left the game. No one had any idea, until today, that Odunze had hurt himself. Especially not to the point of needing an MRI, which usually is some bleak foreshadowing with regards to a player’s near-future availability.
That said, the entire Bears offense still needs to find its groove with or without Odunze. Williams had a rather forgettable day, other than snapping the ball in victory formation. Most times, 14-for-29 passing at 3.2 yards/attempt isn’t going to cut it in the NFL. Should Odunze miss any time, I’d expect to see RB D’Andre Swift (about whom, like Odunze, I wrote for DKN in the preseason) and perhaps TE Cole Kmet see more targets.
I recently banged the drum about Odunze’s rookie profile as it relates to his DraftKings DFS and season-long fantasy values for DKN. All roads were leading to Rome! All to say: this is a monumental bummer. After all the poetic promise Odunze had during the offseason—here I’m picturing Megatron-like gazelle strides on a deep post route, a physical hands catch—we are once again reminded that the injury bug doesn’t let us have nice things. – Dan Johnson
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