Chicago Bears News: Keenan Allen on Rome Odunze, Gervon Dexter Sr., and more
Chicago Bears rookie wide receiver Rome Odunze was not on the practice field on Saturday as he was attending a family member's funeral, but he was still a topic of conversation for veteran wide receiver Keenan Allen.
Allen and Odunze are two of the main reasons why there is excitement surrounding the Bears' offense as they prepare for the 2024 season. While speaking with reporters on Saturday, Allen confessed that Odunze may be better than he was when he was a rookie in the NFL.
Keenan Allen says that Rome Odunze "is a little bit better than me" when he came in as a rookie. Called Rome "more polished."
— CHGO Bears (@CHGO_Bears) July 20, 2024
Allen was drafted in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Chargers. In his rookie season, Allen totaled 1,046 receiving yards and 8 touchdowns with 71 receptions. Given that Allen along with DJ Moore are members of the Bears' wide receiving core, it may be too lofty of expectations for Odunze to repeat what Allen accomplished during his rookie season. That is also the reason why, however, Odunze is in a great spot. Because of the presence of Allen and Moore, Odunze does not have to be the primary playmaker in the Bears' offense immediately.
Gervon Dexter Sr. sees poised for a breakout season.
Chicago Bears defensive end Montez Sweat was among the players to meet with reporters after practice on Saturday. Sweat touched on the transformation the Bears have seen from Gervon Dexter Sr.
Montez Sweat said Bears DT Gervon Dexter did the conditioning test with the defensive ends. “He definitely made a transformation.”
— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) July 20, 2024
Given that the Bears did not make a significant move in terms of bringing in a three-technique this offseason, Dexter will have an added role in the team's defense after Justin Jones's departure. As his rookie season progressed, Dexter showed an improved ability to create disruption in the middle of the defensive line, and he will need to show that more consistently in 2024 if the unit is going to have success.
Matt Eberflus provides an update on the Chicago Bears injuries.
In addressing reporters on Saturday, Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus provided an update on the injuries that the team is currently dealing with.
Matt Eberflus provided some updates on Gerald Everett, Braxton Jones and T.J. Edwards.
— Nicholas Moreano (@NicholasMoreano) July 20, 2024
Eberflus said that Everett was something that the team knew about from training. He also mentioned it was nothing major.
Eberflus also mentioned that Braxton Jones and T.J. Edwards were…
The Bears likely won't provide significant injury updates until the first week of the regular season, but there seems to be little reason to worry at this point.
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