There are a lot of interested Chicago Bears fans wondering how wide receiver Rome Odunze will be used in the offense after having a month off from football.
At the beginning of the week, the question was whether Odunze would actually play in their Wild Card game against the Green Bay Packers. With Caleb Williams' comments and Odunze himself saying it, the Bears will have their star receiver in there. Now, the question is, with him being a bit out of shape, what can he do in the offense?
Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle has the answer to that question, but won't be giving it away that easily in public.
"You don't want to be giving him way too much, and yet, he's a guy that can help us," Doyle said via ESPN's Courtney Cronin. "Anytime that he can be a part of it, certainly want to be able to use him and maximize the time that he's out in the field and get him the ball, but really it's the same with all of our players. We always have plays for each guy specifically, and you know, we're excited to have him back."
How much will Odunze play in the Bears-Packers playoff game
Odunze had gotten off to a fast start to the season, catching 44 passes for 661 yards and six touchdowns in 12 games. His foot injury didn't improve, and with the high likelihood that the team would make the playoffs after the Philadelphia Eagles Black Friday game, it was an easy decision for the Bears to shut him down for the regular season and bring him in for the postseason.
Something to think about is that Odunze won't be getting the high number of targets that he was getting from Caleb Williams before the injury. Since he has been on the sidelines, Williams has built a really good rapport with rookie tight end Colston Loveland, and the pair have looked great together. DJ Moore and Luther Burden III will also be commanding Williams' attention in the passing game as well.
The Bears have been overly cautious with injured players returning, like Jaylon Johnson, putting them on snap counts when they return. It wouldn't be too much of a surprise if Odunze has the same thing happen to him.
Read more: Colston Loveland shared Ben Johnson's stern warning to Bears before playoff run
It'll be fascinating to see how the Bears use Odunze for the playoffs and whether he can be as effective as the rest of the pass catchers.