The Chicago Bears will face the Carolina Panthers in their season opener on Sunday, and Ben Johnson's team is looking to start the 2026 season off with a conference win.
The Bears and Panthers will announce their inactives 90 minutes before kickoff on Sunday, or roughly 10:30 a.m. CT. This post will update as more information on player availability is known and official gameday inactives for Week 1 are announced.
The Bears have a few players with injury designations ahead of the game, including wide receiver Rome Odunze (calf), safety Xavier Woods (groin), quarterback Tyson Bagent (back) and offensive tackle Ozzy Trapilo (knee), who are all questionable. Meanwhile, the Panthers ruled out outside linebacker Patrick Jones II. But they will have running
back Jonathon Brooks at their disposal.
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Is Rome Odunze playing vs. Panthers?
Rome Odunze suffered a calf injury during practice last week, which left his status in question against the Panthers. On Monday, head coach Ben Johnson sounded optimistic about Odunze's status against the Panthers. Odunze was a limited participant all three days of practice leading up to Sunday's season opener. Odunze was listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Panthers, which is certainly encouraging after his calf injury last week. After Friday's practice, Odunze said that he doubts he's questionable and said "I plan on playing." On Sunday morning, NFL insider Ian Rapoport said that Odunze is expected to play.
Will Xavier Woods play in Week 1?
Xavier Woods popped up on the injury report on Thursday with a groin injury that kept him limited on Thursday and Friday. Woods, who was signed earlier this summer, replaces Coby Bryant (out for most of the season) opposite rookie Dillon Thieneman. If Woods can't go, it would likely be Cam Lewis getting the starting nod as he's seen time both at safety and nickel cornerback this summer.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Who's in, who's out for Bears-Panthers in Week 1?
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