Bear Digest

Keenan Allen Questionable While Rome Odunze Is Cleared to Play

BEARS INJURY REPORT: Rome Odunze's hip injury proved to be nothing while wide receiver Keenan Allen had a full practice Friday and there is optimism he'll play but he's questionable.

Gene Chamberlain

Keenan Allen went through a full practice Friday and there is optimism he'll face the Rams but he's officially questionable.
Keenan Allen went through a full practice Friday and there is optimism he'll face the Rams but he's officially questionable. / Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images
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There will be a lot of anxious waiting and working out right up before Sunday's game at Soldier Field for injured Bears against the Rams.

They take three players into the weekend as questionable and their status could change Saturday or even on Sunday right up to 90 minutes before game time after pregame warmups.

Among the questionable is wide receiver Keenan Allen, but he was a full participant in Friday's practice for the first time since his injury flared up in the season opener. Allen had practiced on a limited basis Wednesday and Thursday, so he enters the weekend with the Bears feeling optimistic he'll play.

Also questionable will be defensive tackle Andrew Billings, who returned Friday on a limited basis after missing Thursday with a knee injury and being limited on Wednesday. Safety Kevin Byard went through a limited practice Friday after being out on Thursday with a back injury.

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There are Bears who are out for the game.

Tight end Stephen Carlson was jut promoted to the 53-man roster this week from the practice squad, suffered a collarbone injury and is out. Coach Matt Eberflus said the injury happened on the last play of Thursday's practice and Carlson may need to go on IR. They do have one other tight end on the practice squad but he was signed this week. That's Teagan Quitoriano. It was Quitoriano who caught the first TD pass of the Hall of Fame Game but it was against the Bears for Houston.

Defensive tackle Zacch Pickens has missed all the practices this week with a groin injury and is out. Also out is backup cornerback Terell Smith, who has been out all week with a hip injury.

The hip injury that cropped up for wide receiver Rome Odunze on Thursday and caused him to be limited in practice then was not an issue and he went through a full practice Friday. Odunze has been removed from the injury report.

Also off the injury report after appearing on it at some point this week were tackle Darnell Wright, defensive end Darrell Taylor, defensive end Montez Sweat, tackle Braxton Jones, guard Nate Davis and fullback Khari Blasingame.

Blasingame appears to be full health now after missing the last two games with hand and knee injuries, and his presence could help the running game.

Wright had missed Wednesday's practice entirely, leading to speculation they might need to change up the offensive line again. But he's healthy enough to play after being limited Thursday in practice with a back injury.

So the choice on the line they needed to make was either Matt Pryor or Nate Davis at right guard and Eberflus said Pryor will be back out there.

Twitter: BearsOnSI

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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.