What does Rome Odunze’s injury mean for Luther Burden III, DJ Moore?

RC Nazemi

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What does Rome Odunze’s injury mean for Luther Burden III, DJ Moore? image

Abbie Parr/AP

The Chicago Bears' offense has been surprisingly good this season. Fans of the team are accustomed to poor units led by poor quarterbacks and inept play callers. That is no longer the case. 

In year two, Caleb Williams looks like a franchise-level quarterback for them, and Ben Johnson is one of the most innovative minds in the game. The run game is working, and the offense is well spread out. 

To that point, nobody has established themselves as a true number one option on this team. Rome Odunze is the closest to one, but with the abundance of weapons this team has, it's tough to set yourself apart. 

With the Bears' injury report yesterday revealing Rome Odunze has a foot injury, it came out that it's a stress fracture. According to some, this is an injury that can keep a player out anywhere from 3-6 weeks, depending on severity.

More: Rome Odunze receives 'week-to-week' update on foot injury ahead of Week 14

Odunze has been playing through it, so it's likely on the low end, but still. What does this injury mean for this offense and, more importantly, what does it mean for the rest of Caleb's targets?

Luther Burden III and DJ Moore are about to get their chance to shine

Rome Odunze leads the Chicago Bears in receptions (44), yards (661), TDs (6), and, maybe most importantly, targets (90).

The next player with the highest targets on the team is DJ Moore, with a third less at 63. There is going to be an opportunity to feed a lot more mouths with Rome out of the lineup. 

You never wish for injuries, especially against your own teammates, but for DJ Moore, this couldn't have come at a better time. He showed flashes of his old self in Week 12 against Pittsburgh, going for two TDs on the day. 

Moore certainly loves playing in Green Bay, too. Last season in Lambeau, Moore went off for nine catches, 86 yards, and a TD. 

With Odunze out, this should rip the door wide open for DJ to have a day. There is, however, an X-factor that could get involved in the mix. His name is Luther Burden III.

Luther Burden III is in the midst of his rookie year after being selected in the 2nd round of the NFL draft. Many believe he stayed on the board for way too long. He actually had a quote after being drafted that showed he felt the same. 

When asked about falling to the second round, Burden III said, "Nah, that's staying with me forever. Everybody who passed up on me got to pay."

Well, he's facing a team this week that not only passed on him, but did so in favor of another WR.

Burden III is going to be looking to make fools out of Green Bay for selecting Matthew Golden ahead of him.

He just might do it, too. This season, Burden III ranks 2nd in the NFL in target separation, and with a weak Packers secondary and Odunze's absence, this could be his breakout week. 

Green Bay will, of course, still have to worry about the Bears' rushing attack, which is 2nd in the NFL, as well as Chicago's dual TE attack in Kmet and Loveland. Something about Burden III is screaming late-season breakout, though. 

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Contributing Writer