Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze reiterated Monday he will not need surgery on his right foot as he works through plantar fasciitis and a stress fracture. He missed five games this season and played through it in the playoffs.
His plan is to rest it and be at Halas Hall for treatment and scans to monitor how it heals. He called the ordeal “rough” to play through the last two weeks, but said, “I’m not going to sit here and make excuses about the foot.”
Normally one of the more upbeat players in the Bears’ locker room, Odunze was down Monday as he wrestled with missed opportunities. The one most prevalent in his mind was dropped a pass from quarterback Caleb Williams near the end zone on the Bears’ opening drive of their 20-17 loss to the Rams in the divisional round of the playoffs Sunday.
On second-and-four at the Rams’ 23-yard line, Odunze got past cornerback Cobie Durant, and Williams found him at the 2-yard line. The pass was slightly behind Odunze as he jumped for it, but was in reach. It went straight through his hands for an incomplete pass, and Williams threw an interception two plays later.
“I missed the opportunity, really,” he said. “Judged the ball wrong and didn't end up with it.”
Odunze finished with two catches for 44 yards.
Notes
Right tackle Darnell Wright, who just finished his third season, said he “would love to be on the team for my whole career.” The Bears are likely to explore an extension. If not, they’ll likely pick up his fifth-year option for 2027 before the deadline May 1.
• The Bears will draft 25th in April, having finished with a worse record than the three other teams that lost in the divisional round: the Bills, Texans and 49ers.
