The Bears had some good news and some bad news on the injury front at Monday’s practice. Reporters at the session noted that wide receiver Rome Odunze did not take part in the session. Odunze left last Thursday’s practice early with what appeared to be a lower body injury. Running back D’Andre Swift also left that practice early, but a report said he was dealing with a cramp and he was on the field on Monday. Kyle Monangai was also on the field after missing most of the last month with a hyperextended knee. The Bears will issue their first official injury report of the season on Wednesday and that will provide more clues about whether any of the three players are at risk of missing the opener against the Panthers
Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze (leg) was the only player missing from Monday's brisk, 50-minute practice, according to Brad Biggs of The Chicago Tribune. Odunze is still not back on the practice field after leaving Thursday's practice early with a right-leg injury. The 24-year-old's status will be closely monitored heading into the team's Week 1 regular-season opener this Sunday against the Carolina Panthers. We should have a better read on the former first-rounder's status for this coming weekend once the Bears release their first official practice report of the season on Wednesday. But for now, Odunze's status is firmly up in the air. If he is limited or out against the Panthers, receivers Luther Burden III (groin), Kalif Raymond, and Zavion Thomas could all see extra targets, as well as tight end Colston Loveland. Odunze regressed with 44 catches and 661 receiving yards in his sophomore season in 2025 while playing in just 12 games due to a foot injury, but he also had a career-high six receiving touchdowns, and he is expected to have a bigger role in 2026 with DJ Moore out of the picture. As of right now, Odunze is shaping up as a shaky WR3/flex in Week 1 in fantasy because of his leg injury
Wide receiver Rome Odunze and running back D'Andre Swift both left Bears practice early on Thursday. The team has not provided an update, and coach Ben Johnson is not scheduled to speak until next week. Odunze had a foot injury last season, while Swift is competing for snaps with a few other backs
Coach Ben Johnson said Tuesday that Odunze has had no issues this summer with the foot injury that plagued him last season, Larry Mayer of the Bears' official site reports. Odunze was able to play through listed ankle and heel injuries through Week 13 last season, but a stress fracture in his foot sidelined him Weeks 14-18 before he returned for Chicago's two postseason contests. In 14 appearances including playoffs, he posted a 48-749-6 line on 102 targets, recording 13 receptions of 20-plus yards along the way. As the ninth overall pick in the 2024 Draft, Odunze has a 51.3 percent catch rate (98 for 191) in his two-year career, but he's made up for it with 14.2 YPC. If the aforementioned foot injury is a thing of the past, Odunze will remain a key target for QB Caleb Williams along with TE Colston Loveland and WR Luther Burden (groin) in 2026
Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze (leg) exited Thursday's practice early with an apparent injury, according to Sean Hammond of The Chicago Tribune. Odunze came up hobbling during an install period at the start of practice and appeared to be favoring his right leg. He was not overly concerned and tried to stay on the field before trainers pulled him to the side. Head coach Ben Johnson will not meet with the media until next week, so we might not get much information on the specifics of Odunze's injury until the Bears' first official practice report is released next Wednesday. The 24-year-old's injury does not sound overly serious, but it is another thing to worry about for fantasy managers after the former first-rounder dealt with a foot injury for much of last year. Odunze finished the 2025 regular season with a 44-661-6 line in just 12 games played, but the good news is that he has not shown any ill effects this summer from his foot injury, which appears to be behind him. The former Washington Husky wideout has an opportunity for a bigger role in Chicago in 2026 with DJ Moore out of town, but injury concerns make him more of a WR3/flex target as he enters Year 3 in the NFL. Stay tuned for an update on Odunze's injury status early next week
Rome Odunze is expected to see an increased target share in 2026 after the departure of DJ Moore. Despite a mid-season slowdown and injury in 2025, Odunze has been healthy this summer, and his workload could increase, making him a potential breakout candidate at his current ADP
Chicago Bears rookie wide receiver Zavion Thomas did not participate in the team's first two preseason outings as he dealt with minor knee soreness earlier in camp, but he wasted no time making his presence felt on Saturday night. Thomas got behind the defense with a double move on the first play of his NFL career and outraced everyone for a 97-yard touchdown to set the tone in a 24-15 win over the Titans. He would finish the night with five catches on five targets and a team-leading 140 yards to go with his game-opening score, showcasing his value as a potential third or fourth receiver in what projects to be a high-powered Chicago offense. The Bears have no lack of playmakers atop the depth chart with second-year pass-catchers Luther Burden III and Colston Loveland and former ninth overall pick Rome Odunze. Still, Thomas' unique skill set could lead to manufactured touches in a gadget role and a path to fantasy relevance. Landing outside of RotoBaller's top 300 players, he is not a player who needs to be targeted in 2026 drafts, but his early-season involvement should be monitored, with fantasy managers ready to make a waiver claim
There were 11 NFL players whose stellar performance earned them inclusion on the Associated Press' All-Pro teams for the first time last season. That's nearly a quarter of the prior year's first and second teams that were turned over. With that in mind, CBS Sports explores which offensive players may be next to blossom and reach All-Pro status: Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert have yet to make an All-Pro appearance, so those are options for this category, but also not in the spirit of the exercise. The intended purpose is to project a player who has yet to reach his peak. Caleb Williams ' first season under head coach Ben Johnson was fruitful, but the encore should be even better if his offensive line protection holds up. Williams has a better understanding of the offense and has had more time to develop relationships with primary pass catchers Rome Odunze , Luther Burden III and Colston Loveland . The key for the USC product will be finding consistency while maintaining the ability to make downfield plays late in the down of which others are incapable. Six of the nine quarterbacks who were named All-Pros over the past five years were first-round picks. Williams was the No. 1 overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft . Jahmyr Gibbs is the running back most likely to be named an All-Pro who has not already been so. Although the team signed Isiah Pacheco in free agency, the trade of veteran David Montgomery feels like Gibbs taking ownership of the role in the Motor City. The franchise is hoping the arrival of new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing can re-instill some of the magic that departed with Johnson. Gibbs has accounted for 1,800-plus all-purpose yards in each of the past two years. A candle is still lit for Ashton Jeanty, and while the trio of Quinshon Judkins , Breece Hall and De'Von Achane have battled injuries, they are more than capable of ascending to this level. As you're reading this, Arizona's Jeremiyah Love is dealing with a high ankle sprain, but he has three-down capabilities, and Arizona is clearly content giving him the bulk of the carries. Feature backs may be returning to the NFL. There have been at least a dozen 1,000-yard rushers in each of the past four seasons. There had been only two such seasons dating back to 2015. Of the nine running backs named All-Pros over the past five years, eight were taken in the first or second round; Kyren Williams ( Rams ), a fifth-round pick, was the exception. The only 6-foot-4 All-Pro receiver over the past five years was Tampa Bay's Mike Evans . Drake London would buck that trend. The former USC Trojan is entering his first season with Kevin Stefanski as head coach. Aside from tight end Kyle Pitts and London, Atlanta's pass catchers are Jahan Dotson , Olamide Zaccheaus and third-round pick Zachariah Branch . If London puts together a full season -- as opposed to the five games he missed last season -- then he may finish closer to the 158 targets he accumulated in 2024; in that season, he finished fourth in receiving yards. Thirteen of 17 All-Pro receivers have been taken in the top 100. When exploring the four who were not ( Stefon Diggs , Puka Nacua , Tyreek Hill and Amon-Ra St. Brown ), two likely would have been taken earlier if not for off-field concerns (Hill) and injuries (Nacua). The Texans ' Nico Collins and the Giants ' Malik Nabers are a few others who fit the mold of a first-time All-Pro. There is one less mouth to feed in Chicago's offense with DJ Moore traded to Buffalo, but wide receivers Luther Burden III and Rome Odunze may eat away at a portion of those newfound targets. Colston Loveland tallied 58 receptions for 713 yards and six touchdowns last season. Will new opportunities lead to the requisite statistics for him to ascend to All-Pro status? Green Bay's Tucker Kraft , Cleveland's Harold Fannin Jr . and Indianapolis' Tyler Warren are also worth consideration for the list. San Francisco's George Kittle is the only All-Pro tight end over [... truncated ...]
Odunze brought in one of two targets for 18 yards in the Bears' 27-9 preseason loss to the Bengals on Saturday. Odunze wasted no time making an impact, hauling in his 18-yard catch on the Bears' second play from scrimmage. The third-year wideout was targeted once more without success, and Odunze is firmly on track for the highest volume of his still nascent career now that DJ Moore is in Buffalo. Projected No. 2 receiver Luther Burden also remains sidelined with a groin injury and is uncertain for Week 1, so Odunze is almost certainly not seeing the field again until a Week 1 road matchup against the Panthers on Sunday, Sept. 13
Chicago Bears tight end Colston Loveland is a Year 2 breakout candidate, and he has the potential to operate as quarterback Caleb Williams' favorite target in 2026. As a rookie last year, Loveland caught 58 passes for 713 yards and six touchdowns, despite operating behind Cole Kmet for a sizable portion of the season. Now that Loveland has staked his claim as the clear-cut No. 1 tight end in Chicago, he is trending up in fantasy football and has a chance to eclipse 1,000 receiving yards. There's suddenly an interesting conversation to be had regarding which Bears pass-catcher offers the most fantasy value between Loveland, Luther Burden III (groin), and Rome Odunze. At the moment, Loveland has an ADP of 44.6, which is just one spot higher than Burden and nearly eight spots higher than Odunze. RotoBaller's "Who Should I Draft?" tool agrees with the general population, suggesting Loveland as the ideal pick over Burden and Odunze
Odunze did not participate in Saturday's 30-14 preseason win over the Browns. Odunze was joined by fellow wideouts Luther Burden (groin), Kalif Raymond and rookie third-rounder Zavion Thomas (knee) on the sidelines, along with tight ends Cole Kmet and Colston Loveland. Odunze saw his production dip from his rookie season to his sophomore campaign, though that was partly due to him missing the final five games of the 2025 regular season due to a heel injury. This year, Odunze has the opportunity to live up to his potential as a former top-10 pick, given that DJ Moore is now in Buffalo
With second-year wide receiver Luther Burden III (groin) expected to miss time in the preseason, wideout Rome Odunze has an opportunity to make his case for Chicago's WR1 spot. Odunze hauled in 44 of 90 passes for 661 yards and six touchdowns in 12 games, averaging just over 10 half-PPR fantasy points per game. Odunze had a fantastic start to the 2025 season, averaging over 13 points per game and scoring five touchdowns in the first eight weeks. With D.J. Moore's departure and Burden dealing with an injury that could affect his Week 1 status, Odunze could step into a heavy workload to start the season. Currently ranked WR33 in RotoBaller's positional rankings, the former ninth overall pick could be a great value if he can build on his sophomore season
The Chicago Bears experienced a scary moment during Saturday's practice when second-year wideout Luther Burden III and cornerback Tyrique Stevenson suffered injuries after a one-on-one rep in the red zone. Stevenson felt good enough to return to practice, while Burden did not. He was spotted walking gingerly toward the locker room with trainers. CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz reports that Burden suffered a groin injury and is expected to miss about a month. The Bears hope he can return for the Sept. 13 season opener against the Carolina Panthers . With DJ Moore in Buffalo, Burden is expected to headline Caleb Williams ' receiving corps along with Rome Odunze . With Burden sidelined, Zavion Thomas and Jahdae Walker should be in line to receive more reps. Burden missing the entire preseason is not ideal, but it could have been much worse. Chicago has high hopes for its former No. 39 overall pick this year, and head coach Ben Johnson said earlier this offseason that he's "buying stock" in him. "Just how he's approached his offseason, it's been electric," Johnson said. "He showed up yesterday, he had numerous explosive plays. I loved how in Phase 2 he was finishing every single rep that he took, and that really translated over to yesterday as well. So, he's in a really good spot. He's still developing and growing his route tree ... "He's been extremely coachable, so I'm really happy with him." In his first NFL season, Burden caught 47 passes for 652 yards and two touchdowns in 15 games played. He missed two games with a concussion and an ankle issue. Burden ranked third among wide receivers in yards per route run with 2.71 (min. 200 routes), trailing only Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Puka Nacua . According to CBS Sports Research, those 2.71 yards per route run were the most by a rookie wide receiver in the past 10 seasons. 2025 Luther Burden III 2.71 2019 A.J. Brown 2.68 2020 Justin Jefferson 2.66 2023 Puka Nacua 2.60 2021 Ja'Marr Chase 2.51 The CBS Sports Fantasy Football team ranks Burden as WR27, projecting he will catch 73 passes for 1,057 yards and six touchdowns in 2026
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