The Chicago Bears certainly seem to be a team on the rise. After finishing the 2023 NFL season 7-10, they started the process of completely revamping their offense. They traded former first round pick Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers and were able to acquire six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Keenan Allen from the Los Angeles Chargers.
Allen joins a pass-catching group that already includes highly regarded targets DJ Moore and tight end Cole Kmet. Moore, of course, was acquired by Chicago before the 2023 NFL Draft from the Carolina Panthers in exchange for the number one overall pick. Carolina also sent over their first round pick in this year’s draft.
Due in part to the struggles of Bryce Young, whom Carolina selected with that first overall pick, Chicago ended up getting the first overall pick in this year’s draft. Of course, they used that selection on USC quarterback Caleb Williams, who has already been named the team’s starter.
The Chicago Bears Used Another Top-10 Pick on Wide Receiver Rome Odunze
In addition to the first overall pick that they received from Carolina in the Moore trade, Chicago also had their own first round selection, the ninth overall selection. Despite some speculation that they would trade down in the first round in order to accumulate more draft capital, Chicago opted to keep the pick and selected LSU wide receiver Rome Odunze.
Odunze joins a now loaded offense that boasts all of the players named previously. The hope is that Williams will find more success than previous Bears quarterbacks due to the number of quality pass catchers around him. Furthermore, both Moore and Allen will help mentor Odunze as he adjusts to the NFL.
Chicago Bears Wide Receiver Rome Odunze Held Out of Practice with a Hamstring Injury
The Bears, along with all other NFL teams, have already started their rookie mini camp. This is a time where newly drafted players, as well as undrafted free agents and players brought in for tryouts, can start to learn the offense and get prepared for organized team activities.
According to Patrick Finley, who covers the Bears for the Sun Times, Odunze is not practicing during mini camp today due to a hamstring injury:
Hamstrings can certainly be touchy, and there is no reason for the Bears to risk a long-term problem by having Odunze push through it so early in the offseason.
This is a lesson the Green Bay Packers learned the hard way after they drafted Christian Watson in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft. After experiencing hamstring tightness early, he ended up having surgery to repair a knee issue, but has been dealing with leg injuries for the duration of his brief NFL career (though he and the team believe they have figured out what the problem was).
As for Odunze, there is no indication that this current injury is anything to worry about for the long run. Chicago is certainly doing the right thing, though, by being conservative in their approach to it.
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