The Chicago Bears are 5-3 and Rome Odunze is the leading wide receiver on the offense in every traditional metric, but still his father has complaints.
James Odunze is an avid user of X, formerly known as Twitter, where he frequently utilizes his account to criticize the Bears organization and its deployment of his son — a starter, second-year pro and former No. 9 overall pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft. Those criticisms are both direct and indirect, sometimes from James Odunze’s own fingertips and other times in the form of shared posts that initiated elsewhere.
On Monday, November 3, James Odunze shared a post from a fan who wrote: “Can the Bears trade Rome Odunze to a team that will actually throw to him?”
Later that day, he reposted and shared his support for a report on Marvin Harrison Sr.’s public criticism of the Arizona Cardinals offense and how it is choosing to use his son, Marvin Harrison Jr.
“Good for Sr.,” James Odunze wrote.
A quick scroll through any section of James Odunze’s social media will quickly bear out (no pun intended) an obvious pattern of frustration with and criticism of the Chicago Bears organization. A reporter asked Rome Odunze about that pattern Thursday.
“I don’t make a big deal out of it. Obviously, he has his opinions, I have mine. And he feels like he needs to voice those things on social media. That’s his prerogative,” Rome Odunze said. “He speaks for himself, I speak for myself.”
Another media member asked a follow-up as to whether the Bears wideout has spoken with his father about his social media commentary.
“Yeah, we’ve talked about it,” Rome Odunze answered.
“What do you say?” the reporter continued.
“I’ll keep that private,” Rome Odunze responded.
Rome Odunze Ranks First in Every Major Wide Receiver Category for Bears This Season
GettyWide receiver Rome Odunze of the Chicago Bears.
It is difficult to factually support claims that the Bears aren’t passing the ball enough to Odunze when he’s getting the most attention from quarterback Caleb Williams and head coach Ben Johnson — the two main figures upon whom the criticism falls — of any pass-catcher on the roster.
Odunze has tallied 31 catches (tied for first with WR Olamide Zaccheaus) on 59 targets (first) for 473 receiving yards (1st) and five touchdowns (first), per ESPN statistics. At this rate, he will finish the year with 66 catches for 1,005 receiving yards and 11 TDs — a stat line that could approach Pro Bowl numbers for a wide receiver in the NFC.
Another issue is Johnson’s focus on building out the run game. Despite beginning the season with D’Andre Swift — a player he traded out of Detroit while the Lions offensive coordinator — and seventh-round rookie Kyle Monangai, the Bears have built the league’s second-best run offense through Week 9 (144.4 yards per game).
That should ultimately help the offense, including the Williams-Odunze connection, though it may be cutting into how many times per game the offense targets Odunze in his second professional season.
Rome Odunze Clearly Bears’ No. 1 Wideout Option Over DJ Moore
GettyWide receivers Rome Odunze #15 and DJ Moore #2 of the Chicago Bears.
Odunze has clearly surpassed DJ Moore as the No. 1 wideout option on the team, which could even lead to the Bears parting ways with Moore in March via a trade as his $110 million contract extension is about to kick in.
“If there’s a prominent player who could unexpectedly make sense as a potential trade candidate at the deadline for me, it’s Moore,” ESPN’s Bill Barnwell wrote on October 30. “I get the sense that Johnson’s preferred option would be to work with 12 personnel when tight ends Cole Kmet and Colston Loveland are healthy or work Luther Burden III into the mix alongside Olamide Zaccheaus and Rome Odunze in three-WR sets.”
As time continues on, Odunze is likely to be the longterm No. 1 wideout in an offensive system built off the same plan that made the Lions one of the best five offenses in the NFL over Johnson’s last two seasons in Detroit.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Bears’ Rome Odunze Breaks Silence on Father’s Frequent Public Criticism of Team appeared first on Heavy Sports.