-
Courtney Cronin
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — The Chicago Bears will be short two of their leading wide receivers as they prepare to face the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night.
Rome Odunze (foot) and Luther Burden III (ankle) have been officially ruled out following their absence from the Bears’ last two practices, as indicated in Thursday’s injury report.
Odunze will miss his third consecutive game due to a lingering foot issue that has troubled him since late October. He was sidelined ahead of the first matchup against the Packers on December 7 and was also unavailable last Sunday against the Cleveland Browns.
DJ Moore stepped up for the Bears with a two-touchdown performance against the Browns, and his role may expand further with Odunze and Burden both out. Supplemental receivers like Devin Duvernay and Jahdae Walker could see significant playing time.
«I’m truly satisfied with that group’s performance,» Johnson remarked about the Bears’ receiver unit. «We’ve got promising young talents that we noticed during training camp who ended up on the practice squad. If called to action, I trust they’ve absorbed the offense effectively throughout the season and remain involved. Coach [Antwaan Randle] El has been excellent in keeping them engaged and informed. They’re in a solid position, and I feel the same about all our players on the practice squad or those primarily focused on special teams until now.»
The Bears (10-4) were defeated in their initial encounter with these NFC North foes two weeks ago in Green Bay yet find themselves leading the division as they head into Saturday’s matchup against the Packers (9-4-1).
Running back D’Andre Swift faced a groin injury during practice this week, leading to limited participation on both Wednesday and Thursday. This season has been marked by groin injuries for him, causing him to miss Chicago’s Week 9 game against Cincinnati while recovering.
Swift and tight end Cole Kmet (ankle/knee) are both listed as questionable for the game against the Packers, though Kmet confirmed he will participate.
The Bears have designated linebacker Tremaine Edmunds’ 21-day window for returning to practice this week. He was limited on Tuesday and Wednesday and fully participated on Thursday, making him officially questionable.
«Getting Tremaine back would be a massive boost,» Johnson said. «He was excelling before the injury hit.»
Despite missing four games due to a groin injury, Edmunds has led the Bears with 89 tackles, is tied for second in passes defensed (9), and ranks third in interceptions (4).
