ESPN Shares Wild New Info On Rome Odunze’s Injury Situation

Chicago Bears fans must have felt a sinking feeling in their guts when head coach Matt Eberflus revealed wide receiver Rome Odunze was getting an MRI on his knee. After enduring Kevin White’s injury-plagued years, was this a curse returning to haunt them? Scans revealed an MCL sprain, which was relatively good news compared to alternatives. Based on typical procedures, Odunze would miss 1-3 weeks of action. It would come down to swelling and pain management.

Over the next few days, things unfolded as expected. The rookie did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday. Everybody assumed he would sit this week and see about maybe returning against Indianapolis in week three. Then, the surprising news dropped. Odunze practiced on Friday. Though it was on a limited basis, it was enough to declare him questionable for Sunday night in Houston. Some sort of big change must’ve occurred. Jeremy Fowler of ESPN shared the details.

“Bears rookie wide receiver Rome Odunze (questionable, right knee) wants to play Sunday, so it’s a matter of whether Chicago makes the decision to protect him. He’s considered a game-time decision.”

Here's the previous play, the screen pass to Velus Jones. You can see Rome Odunze get rolled up as Jones gets tackled pic.twitter.com/GxmwgbKIBU

— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) September 9, 2024

Velus Jones and a Titans player collide with Rome Odunze and he goes down awkwardly late in the 4th quarter. I would expect this is the play where Odunze was potentially injured. pic.twitter.com/JO6tKdCBD8

— Bill Zimmerman (@BillTZimmerman) September 9, 2024

Rome Odunze is putting heat on the coaches.

In hindsight, this shouldn’t be a surprise. Playing through injuries is something the wide receiver has done before. Last year, he broke a rib and punctured a lung against Arizona. In Washington’s next game, he went for 128 yards and two touchdowns in a huge rivalry win over Oregon. The kid is wired differently. Where most modern athletes will play it safe and take a week off to recover, Odunze has to get dragged off the field. That should tell you what kind of competitor he is.

The picture is clear at this point. If Rome Odunze has it his way, he will play in Houston tomorrow night. That decision depends on Eberflus. Typically, the Bears head coach is cautious with his players on health matters. He doesn’t like rushing them back and risking aggravating injuries. That said, if Odunze looks good during warmups, he may have no choice but to let the kid play.