pixel
Bears News

Bears injury report: Rome Odunze questionable for NFL playoff game vs. Rams

3 weeks agoScott Bair

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Bears wide receivers Rome Odunze (foot) and DJ Moore (knee) have been limited some during the practice week leading up to Sunday’s NFC divisional playoff round game versus the Los Angeles Rams.

Moore is clear to play in the win-or-go-home contest at Soldier Field. There is some uncertainly, however, around Odunze. He received a questionable designation on the official Bears injury report, which the team released Friday afternoon. He has said he’s going to give it a go, though.

[READ: How Bears QB Caleb Williams’ confident leadership style was built]

Odunze returned from a five-week absence for the NFC wild-card win over the Green Bay Packers and made a huge fourth-down catch, but he’s clearly not playing at maximum warp. This is the playoffs, and he’s willing to deal with the pain in his foot in order to play.

“I don’t know if I can put a percentage on it, with what I’m going through,” Odunze said Thursday. “I obviously wouldn’t say 100 but, at the end of the day, I’m good enough to go.”

There wasn’t much else on the injury report, with only cornerback Nick McCloud out with a groin injury. Linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin also is questionable with a back injury.

A relatively light injury report doesn’t mean, however, that the Bears came out of the wild-card round healthy. They lost two every-down starters in that game, in major blows to their future playoff prospects.

Linebacker T.J. Edwards suffered a fractured fibula and is done for the postseason. So is rookie left tackle Ozzy Trapilo, who ruptured his patellar tendon late in the game. Both were moved to injured reserve earlier this week.

[READ: Bears RB D’Andre Swift rejuvenated under Ben Johnson, Eric Bieniemy]

D’Marco Jackson will step in for Edwards, as he did last week, and Theo Benedet should take over for Trapilo. Veteran left tackle Braxton Jones was activated from injured reserve earlier this week and should be a backup.

Defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson will return after missing the wild-card game while in the concussion protocol. He has cleared it now and likely will split duty with Kyler Gordon in the slot, though Gardner-Johnson alluded to the prospect of them playing together in the dime package.

Gordon is an example of a returning star playing at less than full potential because of a previous injury, a list that also includes cornerback Jaylon Johnson and linebacker Tremaine Edmunds.

Here’s the full injury report from the Bears and Rams: