The Chicago Bears are being cautious with wide receiver Rome Odunze.
Although rookie minicamp has only just began, Odunze missed practice on Saturday, May 11, due to a troubling hamstring ailment.
“Bears rookie receiver Rome Odunze has hamstring tightness and will miss today’s rookie camp practice,” Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune reported via X.
Bears can use recent NFL precedent to justify sidelining Rome Odunze for an extended period if necessary.
Wiederer’s report does not imply that Odunze has been injured or will be out for an extended period of time. However, hamstring disorders are notoriously temperamental and can linger.
They are especially problematic for wide receivers, as Justin Jefferson’s position with the Minnesota Vikings demonstrated last season. Jefferson pulled his hamstring against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 5, and Minnesota kept its star receiver out for eight weeks (seven games and a bye) to ensure he didn’t re-aggravate the muscle and miss any additional time.
Odunze has only recently begun his career in Chicago, and the team has months to get him up to speed and ready to play Week 1 in early September. All practice time is crucial throughout the offseason, especially for a rookie with high expectations and excitement for his professional debut.
Even so, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Bears went from ordinary caution to extreme caution and chose to keep Odunze sidelined for multiple days, if not the entire rookie minicamp and beyond, given his status as the No. 9 pick in this year’s NFL draft and the running mate of fellow rookie and No. 1 overall pick quarterback Caleb Williams.
The Bears may have the best trio of wide receivers in the NFL after drafting Rome Odunze.
Odunze is an embarrassment of riches in Chicago’s receiving room, joining DJ Moore and Pro Bowler Keenan Allen heading into the 2024 season.
Allen had 108 catches for 1,243 yards and 7 touchdowns for the Los Angeles Chargers in 2023, while Moore had a career year with 96 receptions, 1,364 yards, and 8 touchdowns. Odunze dominated the collegiate level in 2023, leading the FBS with 1,640 receiving yards on 92 catches, including 13 touchdowns.
On May 9, Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report named Chicago’s receivers the best in the NFL coming into the 2024 season after acquiring Moore, Allen, and Odunze over the previous two years.
A surprising team grabs the top slot, with the Chicago Bears assembling an exceptional bunch of wide receivers this offseason.
Odunze’s participation generates a complementary set of targets. Moore has always been at his most creative at the catch. Allen will use quick and dependable routes to cover the short to intermediate areas of the field. The incoming rookie is a significant target and legitimate vertical danger. Tyler Scott’s ability to make big plays should be considered as well.
Two years ago, the Bears’ wide receivers were perhaps the worst in the NFL. They’re almost ready to claim the best once they’re on the field and working together.
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