Rome Odunze clarifies "new normal" comment: "My foot feels amazing"

Published July 30, 2026 03:10 PM Bears receiver Rome Odunze raised some concerns about his foot when he told reporters during the offseason program that his “new normal” is going to be dealing with some sort of discomfort.But on Thursday, Odunze clarified that’s not exactly how he’s feeling as he’s entering his third training camp.“I really didn’t articulate it well, honestly. That’s not really what I meant,” Odunze said, via Courtney Cronin of ESPN. “I just kind of meant that I had an injury. That’s it. That’s football. My foot feels great. My foot feels amazing. The training staff here, the training staffs I work with in the offseason, all the work that I’ve put in to get it right, honestly it’s not even really something that I think about anymore which I think is the best thing I think you can have after an injury.“I know ‘new normal,’ that has a bunch of connotations of chronic and severe, like it’s never going to be the same. It’s not like that at all. I’m completely fine. I went through my process of recovery and rehab, and it’s been great. Obviously I do my due diligence and all those things. Being out sucks. That really is the No. 1 thing as a football player, any athlete, you all know, you don’t want to be out — practice, game, whatever it is. Went through my process of getting that right, and I feel amazing.”That’s positive news for a Bears team that’s likely going to feature Odunze in a larger role in 2026 after trading DJ Moore to the Bills.After catching 54 passes for 734 yards with three touchdowns as a rookie, Odunze caught 44 passes for 661 yards with six TDs in 12 games last year.