Bears Coach Believes Rome Odunze Primed for Breakout: ‘He’s Going to Have a Big Year’
While it’s certainly understandable that the majority of the attention this offseason would be focused on the development of second-year quarterback Caleb Williams, the Chicago Bears also have a second-year wide receiver on the roster who like Caleb was a 1st Round pick in 2024 and could be primed for a breakout season in 2025.
Rome Odunze is the sort of player who could theoretically make life significantly easier for Caleb Williams in 2025 and beyond. Odunze is a big-bodied star-in-the-making with top ten draft pick pedigree and the desire to become the best wide receiver in the NFL. His belief in himself — more on this in a moment — may only be surpassed by the belief that the entire Bears organization seems to have in him.
“It’s a bigger role in our offense,” Bears wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle El said of Odunze’s involvement for the season ahead, per Courtney Cronin of ESPN. “As you understand the offense, we can put you in different spots. No question, prototypical [X-receiver, split out wide], but he’s a guy that you can move around. I think he’s going to have a big year.”
A big year for Odunze could result in Caleb Williams becoming the first quarterback in Chicago Bears history to throw for at least 4,000 yards. Odunze could also play a big role in helping Williams reach the 70 percent completion mark that new head coach Ben Johnson challenged his quarterback to reach before the season began. Throws into tight coverage that are considered ’50-50′ balls might be actually 60-40 in Odunze’s favor.
“Just give him a chance,” Bears wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus said. “I’ve got confidence in him that he’s going to go make a play.”
Rome Odunze Isn’t Lacking Confidence Heading Into 2025
It would be one thing if Rome Odunze’s teammates and coaches were simply blowing smoke, hyping up the 23-year-old ahead of his second NFL season. But Odunze himself is talking the talk too, and come September 8th, when the Bears kick their season off with a NFC North matchup versus the Minnesota Vikings, he’ll get the opportunity to prove he’s ready to walk the walk.
“As a wide receiver and a playmaker, I feel like I have the ability to make this offense move and have explosive plays. So you know, I want the ball on every play,” Odunze declared. “But I play my role within the offense. Caleb’s a great quarterback who’s going to be versatile with his weapons, as well as Ben and the offensive staff to get the ball around. So of course I want to be that No. 1 guy for him and go kill it, be that duo.”
Unlike last season, there are no shortage of qualified mouths to feed within the Bears offense. In addition to Odunze, DJ Moore, Olamide Zaccheaus and rookie Luther Burden figure to factor into Chicago’s passing attack. Don’t forget about Cole Kmet and 10th overall pick Colston Loveland, giving Ben Johnson the freedom to explore the 12 personnel looks he utilized so often with a tremendous amount of success in Detroit.
But with all of those mouths to feed, it’s still looking like Rome Odunze may be the one who gets the metaphorical biggest piece of chicken each and every week, especially when Chicago gets into the red zone. Last year, Odunze led the Bears with 13 end zone targets. Don’t be surprised if that number goes up in 2025.
And don’t be surprised if Odunze becomes the 14th different wide receiver in Bears franchise history to finish a season with at least 1,000 receiving yards. It’s why the Bears brought Odunze to Chicago in the first place.