It’s been over a full year since the Chicago Bears selected both Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze in the top ten of the 2024 NFL Draft, and it’s easy to see now that the expectations placed on this duo right out of the gate were both oversized and understandable. Never before had a quarterback-wide receiver tandem with as much potential taken the field together in Chicago… a city known for its intimidating linebackers and record-setting running backs.
But this pair of rookies, while no doubt transformative, was in over their heads during their first season as teammates. And while Williams and Odunze by no means resemble many of the high-profile busts that Chicago has had both under center and out wide over the years, there’s a palpable anxiousness now that wasn’t present last year.
Only Rome Odunze isn’t buying into it.
Odunze made no bones about it after the Bears selected both him and Williams, the goal was to bring Super Bowl titles — plural — to the city of Chicago, and to become one of the greatest quarterback-wide receiver duos to ever step on the gridiron. A year later, even after all of the struggles, that goal remains the same.
“We still have the mentality to be one of the greatest duos,” Odunze told Jason Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times on August 1. “Being able to have that experience last year and go to the depths of where you don’t want to be in this league — the lack of success motivates us. We’re continuing to grow, continuing to have that hungry mindset and going forward with all the knowledge of going through an NFL season and all those things that can carry over.”
New Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson is banking on Odunze being correct.
Ben Johnson Has Big Plans for Rome Odunze
Much was made about Caleb Williams being a key factor in why Ben Johnson ultimately decided to leave his post as the offensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions and become the head coach of the Chicago Bears, when so many teams around the NFL who had head coaching openings were interested in his services.
Less has been said about what Johnson envisions for Rome Odunze. During OTA’s in May, Johnson spoke for the first time about what Odunze brings to the table.
“To be a second-year guy, you would expect a little bit more inconsistency,” Johnson said on May 22, per Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. “And yet, the way he approaches the meeting room, the walk-throughs, the on-field, the drill work, it’s very much like a seasoned pro, some of the best that I’ve been around.”
Two months later, after a week of training camp, Johnson continues to be impressed by his second-year wideout.
“Provided he gets a one-on-one with a corner, he’s going to win most of his matchups,” Johnson said of Odunze earlier this week. “When you have a long guy that can win contested catches and have torque down the field and all that but can still drop his weight and get into and out of routes, that’s really a unique skill set that we’re going to look to capitalize on.”
Johnson’s assessment of Odunze is spot on. Last season, despite some of the struggles that Williams had getting the ball to Rome, the first-year wideout led the league in contested catch win rate, hauling in a reception on 72.2 percent of those opportunities.
All the more reason to continue peppering Odunze with targets, giving him a chance to achieve the very same goal he set out to accomplish as a rookie.
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