The Bears’ Week 1 plan is already taking shape around one big question: whether Rome Odunze can get to Sunday.
Head coach Ben Johnson said Tuesday that the third-year receiver will not practice and is day-to-day with a foot issue, but the problem is not the stress fracture that cost him five regular-season games in 2025. Johnson still sounded optimistic about Odunze’s chances to play when Chicago opens the 2026 season Sunday at Carolina.
“He’s more day-to-day right now. But we’re hopeful he’ll be ready to go on Sunday.”
That opener is set for noon CT at Bank of America Stadium on FOX, and the Bears now have a short week of sorts to sort out how much Odunze can handle after he left Thursday’s practice and also missed Monday’s brief session.
The distinction Johnson made matters. Odunze’s 2025 season was interrupted by a stress fracture and plantar fasciitis, but this week’s issue is separate.
NBC Sports, citing The Athletic’s Dan Wiederer, said last season’s fracture was in the left foot and this one is on the right side. The Chicago Sun-Times and CHGO Sports also reported Johnson’s message that the current problem is not tied to last year’s injury.
That leaves the Bears in wait-and-see mode, with no official Week 1 injury report yet published as of Wednesday afternoon. Wednesday’s listing becomes the next real checkpoint.
If Odunze is limited or unavailable, the next man up is Luther Burden III, and the Bears sound comfortable with that. Burden missed a chunk of camp after a groin strain on Aug. 8, but Johnson said after the preseason finale that he “looks 100% to me,” according to the Sun-Times. On Tuesday, Burden himself said he is good to go after missing several weeks.
Burden’s 2025 production helps explain why Chicago is willing to lean on him. He finished with 47 catches for 652 yards and two touchdowns in 15 games, and much of that damage came after the catch. With DJ Moore traded to Buffalo in March, Odunze and Burden now sit atop the receiver group alongside tight end Colston Loveland.
The backfield is in better shape, too. D’Andre Swift left Thursday’s practice with cramps, then returned Monday.
Kyle Monangai, who had been out since an Aug. 16 hyperextended knee, was also back on the field Monday. The Chicago Tribune and Sun-Times both reported the two running backs took part in a 40-minute session at Halas Hall.
That gives Johnson more options if the passing game is short a key piece. Chicago ranked third in the league at 144.5 rushing yards per game last season, and the Bears’ ground game gives them a clear fallback if Odunze is not ready.
Still, the story in Charlotte will be how Johnson manages Caleb Williams if Odunze is active. Johnson has described Odunze as Williams’ security blanket when the pocket breaks down, and the offense is built to feature two vertical threats plus a back who can create after the catch.
If Odunze plays, the Bears may ease him in with fewer deep shots early and more work underneath. If he sits, Burden and Loveland would absorb more of the volume while Swift and Monangai help keep Carolina from crowding those routes.
Either way, Chicago is not rushing the foot. The hope is still that Odunze will be on the field Sunday.
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