(670 The Score) Bears leading receiver Rome Odunze could be facing a potential shutdown from action.
The Bears are re-evaluating Odunze's health as he deals with a stress fracture in his foot. He aggravated that injury during pregame warmups prior to the Bears' 31-3 win over the Browns on Sunday at Soldier Field, with the team ruling Odunze out just before kickoff after he had been trending toward playing.
No determination has been made on Odunze’s status, head coach Ben Johnson said Monday, but the Bears understand that more rest could be best for him.
“All options are on the table,” Johnson said. “We’re going to do what’s best for Rome, first and foremost. It’s hard to tell him no sometimes. He just wants to be out there on the field competing, contributing and helping our team win. There may be a case where we got to protect him from himself a little bit, just to make sure we get him right and he’ll be able to help us down the road.”
Odunze also missed the Bears’ loss to the Packers on Dec. 7 following a week-long absence from practice. He played in all 17 games as a rookie last season. Odunze has hauled in 44 receptions for 661 yards and six touchdowns in 12 games this season. All of those are team-highs.
The Bears are also evaluating rookie receiver Luther Burden III, who suffered an ankle injury in their win Sunday.
In better news Monday, the Bears designated linebacker Tremaine Edmunds (groin) for a return from injured reserve. That opened up the 21-day window for Edmunds to practice and be activated.
Edmunds has missed the last four games with that injury.
The Bears (10-4) will host the Packers (9-4-1) on Saturday evening at Soldier Field.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.