Bears Final Week 16 Injury Report: Bad news at WR creates two potential paths for Chicago’s game plan
The WR position is a little banged up going into Saturday’s game.
The Chicago Bears wrapped up the week of practice early on Thursday with a Saturday night date scheduled this weekend against the Green Bay Packers and it’s a game no one will want to miss.
The decision to make the Bears-Packers game the nightcap on the rare double Saturday NFL slate was a smart one by the league because the playoff and divisional implications are extremely high, not to mention it’s a game between the league’s oldest rivalry.
After Thursday’s practice, the Bears released the final injury report going into the weekend and have a few concerns at various different positions, most importantly at wide receiver with two starters listed as out for the Week 16 matchup.
Bears Final Week 16 Injury Report vs. Packers
| Player | Injury | T/W/Th | Status |
| WR Luther Burden III | Ankle | DNP/DNP/DNP | Out |
| WR Rome Odunze | Foot | DNP/DNP/DNP | Out |
| LB Amen Ogbongbemiga | Hamstring | DNP/DNP/DNP | Out |
| DE Joe Tryon-Shoyinka | NIR (Personal) | -/DNP/DNP | Questionable |
| LB Tremaine Edmunds* | Groin | Limited/Limited/Full | Questionable |
| TE Cole Kmet | Ankle/Knee | Limited/Limited/Full | Questionable |
| RB D’Andre Swift | Groin | -/Limited/Limited | Questionable |
| QB Tyson Bagent | Illness | Full/Full/Full | Active |
| DT Andrew Billings | Illness | DNP/Full/Full | Active |
| RB Travis Homer | Ankle | Limited/Full/Full | Active |
Two options the Bears can lean on to replace Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III
With Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III officially listed as out, the Bears will have to pivot the offensive game plan some going into Saturday night’s game. Veteran wide receiver DJ Moore should see another big role in the passing game but how the cards fall beyond Moore will be something to watch when the Bears take the field.
“Anytime you have issues in the personnel or a lack of bodies in an area, there’s always plays on the game plan that maybe was specific to a player that we need to be out of that play,” offensive coordinator Declan Doyle explained. “Maybe we don’t have the correct bodies for the defense we might be expecting. That becomes a constant communication as far as fixing things.”
Fixing things could be one of two things when it comes to making up for the losses at the wide receiver position going into Sunday’s game. The first, and likely option, involves utilizing more 2-TE sets getting Cole Kmet and Colston Loveland more involved in the game plan again.
The second, involves the next man up approach at the position and getting other wide receivers prepared to contribute alongside Moore, which includes Olamide Zaccheaus and Devin Duvernay, as well as undrafted rookie Jahdae Walker. Head coach Ben Johnson even hinted at elevating a practice squad receiver onto the game day roster as well.
“I’ve been really pleased with that room,” Johnson told reporters on Thursday. “I think we got some young guys in there that we were really impressed with in training camp.”
Zaccheaus had a strong role earlier in the season and had a strong connection with quarterback Caleb Williams during training camp. As for Duvernay and Walker, the two have combined for 31 offensive snaps this season and only Duvernay has caught a pass in the regular season of the two. Walker was a preseason standout and someone fans have been excited to see more of, maybe Saturday can be his opportunity after being inactive in eight games this season.
Other Observations
- Tremaine Edmunds returned to practice this week and was a full participant on Thursday. Johnson noted he’s “hopeful” Edmunds can play and we’ll see if he’s activated tomorrow.
- D’Andre Swift popped back up on the injury report with a groin injury, an issue that’s plagued him all year and was listed as questionable after two straight practices as a limited participant.
- Cole Kmet was a full participant on Thursday while dealing with an ankle/knee issue. While he’s listed as questionable, he told reporters after practice that he plans to play.
- Joe Tyron-Shoyinka, the team’s trade deadline acquisition, was listed as out but for good reason. Tryon-Shoyinka noted after being traded that he was expecting a child at some point during the latter part of the season, it seems like that is what the case is here. Congrats to him and his family.
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