Bear Digest

Bears Inactives Against Houston Texans: Rome Odunze Will Play

Rome Odunze will face the Houston Texans on Sunday night despite a knee sprain while Keenan Allen has tested his heel injury with a different result.

Gene Chamberlain

Rome Odunze will attempt to play against the Houston Texans despite a knee injury suffered last Sunday.
Rome Odunze will attempt to play against the Houston Texans despite a knee injury suffered last Sunday. / David Banks-Imagn Images
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The Bears will have wide receiver Rome Odunze playing one week after he suffered an MCL sprain against the Tennessee Titans in the season opener.

However, wide receiver Keenan Allen will sit out the Sunday night game with the Houston Texans with the heel injury that caused him to miss every practice this week.

Odunze had practiced Friday on a limited basis and, like Allen, was listed questionable for the game. Odunze on Friday said he was told he was in danger of making the sprain worse, so he was considering playing.

Allen has a more perplexing issue. He has a heel injury and it occurred several weeks ago, either in the two practices after the final preseason game or just before the final preseason game.

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"He had, last week, like a cleat issue," Poles said on Aug. 28. "Some discomfort in his foot, but he should be fine."

It appeared he may have aggravated it or was playing with a sore foot during the fourth quarter of the season opener. He played sparingly after he was spotted limping in the fourth quarter.

Without Allen, it could mean more playing time for wide receiver Tyler Scott. They also could use more extra tight end packages. Last week starting tight end Cole Kmet had only 27 reps, less than half the offensive plays and, seven fewer plays than backup tight end Gerald Everett had.

The Bears will have defensive end DeMarcus Walker available despite a foot injury. He came into the game questionable, but coach Matt Eberflus said his condition was less serious.


The other inactive Bears besides Allen are running back/wide receiver Velus Jones Jr., tackle Kiran Amegadjie, fullback Khari Blasingame, defensive end Dominique Robinson and linebacker Noah Sewell.

For the Texans, linebacker Juice Scruggs, safety M.J. Stewart, wide receiver John Metchi, running back Dameon Pierce, linebacker Rashad Weaver and linebacker Jamal Hill are inactive.

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Gene Chamberlain

GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.