Our countdown of the 25 most important Chicago Bears is hitting the stretch run. We are at number nine, where rookie wide receiver Rome Odunze holds court.
The Chicago Bears are one day closer to the start of training camp and our countdown of the 25 most important players on the team for 2024 continues. We are now at number nine. There, we have rookie wide receiver Rome Odunze. Odunze looks to make a big contribution in the new-look offense.
The team hopes Odunze is part of a new era of exciting and winning Chicago Bears football. Both the team and fans expect many great plays from him. The hope is that he and rookie quarterback Caleb Williams can develop together, eventually create a great rapport, and become one of the best QB/WR duos in the NFL.
The Chicago Bears were very fortunate to have Odunze fall on their lap. In normal drafts, he would have been the first wide receiver taken in the draft. However, this draft had Marvin Harrison Jr and Malik Nabers. Additionally, it had the Atlanta Falcons picking a quarterback to start five seasons from now.
Odunze was a favorite of General Manager Ryan Poles. Poles was intent on drafting him. He would do whatever it took to select him. He was even willing to trade an important future pick to Atlanta to move up one spot. Fortunately, the Falcons wanted their quarterback so Poles did not need to make the trade.
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Now the Bears have a dynamic receiver who can eventually become better than the two who were drafted ahead of him. At 6-foot-3, 215 pounds he has the size you want in a receiver. He also has good speed and strength.
Additionally, Odunze’s body control is incredible. In his college career, he made a variety of incredible contested catches. Even when a defender has him covered, he finds a way to come up with the ball. In his last two seasons at Washington, he amassed 2,785 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns.
Just like what happened in the draft, Odunze will be WR3 with the Chicago Bears. The Bears have D.J. Moore and Keenan Allen, two of the best wide receivers in the league. Unlike Harrison or Nabers, Odunze won’t have the pressure of producing like a WR1 right out of the gate. He will be the third option in the passing game.
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Odunze will still be a crucial part of the passing game. Moore and Allen will attract all of the attention. That means Odunze will have one-on-one situations with defensive backs who aren’t the opponents’ best. Odunze should be able to eat them up alive.
If that happens, teams need to either put their better defenders on him or send a double team. That frees up space for Moore or Allen. When that happens, the Chicago Bears passing game could be lethal. Throw in tight ends Cole Kmet and Gerald Everett and running back D’Andre Swift, and the choices for Williams could be endless.
Despite playing behind two great players, Odunze is looking for great things. He wants to break the Chicago Bears rookie record for receiving yards. That is a long-standing record of 1,123 yards, set by Harlon Hill way back in 1954. Odunze also wants to break the all-time NFL rookie record of 1,486 yards set just last season by Puka Nacua.
© David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
That second record will be very difficult for Odunze to break. If he does, it likely means one of the other two receivers got injured. That is how Nakua got his opportunity.
Odunze has already been impressing people. He was beating some of the vaunted Chicago Bears defensive backs in OTAs and minicamp. He caught the attention of head coach Matt Eberflus.
I would say Rome. Rome really impressed us in terms of his ability to grab concepts and really execute out there for sure… I think he knows himself really well. Very mature for his age. He’s a wonderful teammate and he’s going to be exciting to watch.
The Chicago Bears may have another plan for Odunze. Since he won’t be seeing as many snaps as he did in college, he could be utilized on special teams. Special teams coordinator Richard Hightower feels Odunze is an every-down player. He has Odunze in mind for punt returns.
Rome is an every-down player. Rome’s a first-down player, a second-down player, a third-down player, and a fourth-down player. He had three returns on the books and one of those three returns was a house call.
While Odunze does not have elite speed, he has the toughness to bounce off tackles, and the sight to find and hit holes quickly. The Bears have a few candidates for the job but if Odunze handles it well, he could be the front-runner for the job. Last season, he won the Pac-12 Special Teams Player of the Week award after returning a punt 83 yards for a touchdown.
Rome Odunze is a dynamic player who could be special. He is in a unique situation where he could face and feast on less talented defenders. If he can do that, the Chicago Bears could score a bucketload of points week after week.
Previous rankings: #25: Tory Taylor #24: Velus Jones #23: Jack Sanborn #22: Gerald Everett #21: Kyler Gordon #20: Cairo Santos #19: Kevin Byard #18: Nate Davis #17: Jaquan Brisker #16: Austin Booker #15:Tyrique Stevenson #14: Darnell Wright #13: Khalil Herbert #12: Tremaine Edmunds #11: ColeKmet #10: Gervon Dexter
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