Bears grateful Rome Odunze dodged serious injury after WR felt ‘pop’ in knee late in win vs. Titans originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Rookie wide receiver Rome Odunze won’t practice Wednesday at Halas Hall and is “day-to-day” as he deals with a sprained MCL.
While it’s unknown if Odunze will be available for Sunday’s Week 2 tilt with the Texans in Houston, the Bears are fortunate the star rookie escaped Week 1 with just a sprain.
The injury occurred late in the fourth quarter of the Bears’ 24-17 win over the Tennessee Titans. Odunze’s leg was rolled up from behind as he blocked on a screen to Velus Jones Jr.
“I mean, it happened, and then I got up, I felt kind of a pop in there, so I knew something wasn’t necessarily right,” Odunze said Wednesday at Halas Hall. “I usually try and walk things off, see how it feels. So I played the next play and was on a block, and it didn’t feel right. Like I said, I’ve never had anything with my knee, so I wanted to make sure I was 100 percent. Went to the trainer, asked them to look at it, and then got the MRI the next morning, next afternoon doctor gave me a diagnosis of an MCL sprain before that and the report from the MRI confirmed it.”
The injury initially looked like it could be severe, but everyone at Halas Hall breathed a sigh of relief when the initial diagnosis was confirmed.
“When you have somebody fall on your leg like that, and you have that type of deal, it’s always fortunate that it’s not that serious,” head coach Matt Eberflus said. “Very lucky that way. Very fortunate. We were blessed that way.”
Odunze isn’t the only Bears receiver who is banged up.
Veteran wide receiver Keenan Allen re-aggravated his heel injury during the second half of the win over the Titans. Allen came up hobbling after tracking a deep pass from quarterback Caleb Williams that fell incomplete. Allen finished the game but won’t practice Wednesday.
The Bears hope that rest will allow Allen to heal up and be available for Sunday.
As for Odunze, the Bears are hopeful he will improve enough to play in Houston, but they won’t rush the rookie back. Odunze is vital to their big-picture hopes this fall, and they believe they have the depth to withstand his absence if needed.
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