While all the focus was on Caleb Williams' struggles during his rookie debut in the Chicago Bears' victory over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, it was an uneventful debut for rookie wide receiver Rome Odunze.
If anything, the way offensive Shane Waldron drew up routes for the Bears on Sunday appeared cluttered as there were often times that Odunze was finishing in the same spot as Keenan Allen. On the day, Odunze had one catch (through way of a deflection) for 11 yards. Odunze was targeted 4 times but otherwise, it was a silent debut for the 2024 ninth overall draft pick.
While speaking with reporters on Monday, Matt Eberflus may have provided clarity on why it was a silent first game for Odunze.
Bears WR Rome Odunze is undergoing an MRI on his knee today.
— Dan Wiederer (@danwiederer) September 9, 2024
Matt Eberflus could not say how concerning that injury may be.
“We’ll see. I don’t have enough information yet.”
Word is it happened while Odunze was engaged on a blocking assignment.
Rome Odunze suffers injury scare in Bears' debut.
It's never a comfortable feeling when it's discovered after the fact that a player has to undergo an MRI for a knee injury. It's even more concerning that the injury may have happened away from the ball.
Bears WR Rome Odunze's last play on the field was D'Andre Swift's 20-yard run with 4:22 left in the 4th quarter. You can see him hopping off to the sideline at the end of the play pic.twitter.com/kVJ52xkgqb
— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) September 9, 2024
An injury to Odunze came when there were also some concerns about Keenan Allen's heel. Allen was targeted 11 times on Sunday but only had 4 receptions. One of those targets was a drop that Allen on a throw that would've been Caleb Williams' first NFL touchdown. Throughout the game, Allen appeared to be limping, a sign that he re-aggravated a heel injury that had him on the injury report last week.
While providing the update on Odunze on Monday, Eberflus mentioned that the team isn't concerned with Allen's status for Sunday night's game against the Houston Texans.
Second-year wide receiver Tyler Scott was inactive for Sunday's game against the Tennessee Titans. If Odunze is forced to miss time, chances are Scott will be the one to slide into the role of being the third receiver on offensive sets.