Chicago Bears: Rome Odunze experiencing issues from broken foot

Imagn Images

Chicago Bears: Rome Odunze experiencing issues from broken foot

Originally posted on ChiCitySports | By Jordan Sigler | Last updated Jun 3, 2026 7:28 PM ET

Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze missed the final five games of the 2025 regular season due to what the team deemed a foot injury from a stress fracture, but the truth coming out this spring appears much worse for the 2024 first-round pick.

Odunze, who was the leading receiver on the Bears before the injury, returned in time to play against the Green Bay Packers in the wild-card round. Bears head coach Ben Johnson wanted to protect Odunze “from himself” by shutting him down for the playoffs after he suffered a setback against the Cleveland Browns during pregame warmups.

Chicago Bears: Rome Odunze has a new normal

Aug 22, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze (15) runs with the ball during the first half against the Kansas City Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

On Wednesday, Odunze was asked in his news conference if his foot had returned to normal this spring. The No. 9 pick in the 2024 draft said he has a “new normal” after suffering a broken foot last season. He says he has a “different type of foot structure” to work with.

“This is my new normal,” Odunze said, via Dan Wiederer of The Athletic. “And it’s not from a standpoint that I’m always in pain, but the way my foot broke, there’s callouses in there that create a different type of foot structure with those bones — different types of things that kind of shift things around.

“So my new normal is kind of what I am going into.”

What that means for the Bears the season remains unclear, but it’s definitely something to keep an eye on when training camp starts in July and the pads come on. He recorded four receptions during his two appearances in the postseason for 88 yards.

After trading DJ Moore to the Buffalo Bills this offseason, the Bears need Odunze or Luther Burden III to step into the WR1 role. Chicago used a third-round pick on LSU speedster Zavion Thomas, who could earn a big role in the offense this season.

This article first appeared on ChiCitySports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: