Is it possible for the Chicago Bears to have too much talent at wide receiver?
One star wide receiver appeared to hint the team could have a problem making sure their playmakers receive enough targets in the upcoming season. With the No. 9 pick in the draft, the Bears added Rome Odzune to a pass-catching group of D.J. Moore, Keenan Allen, Cole Kmet, and Gerald Everett. On paper, the Bears arguably have their best offensive-skilled group in the team’s history.
And that’s nothing to say of running back D’Andre Swift, who is expected to have an important role in the passing scheme in the upcoming season.
Too many weapons for the Chicago Bears?
According to Ryan Taylor with NBC Sports, Moore suggested the Bears could have too many skilled players competing for passes if general manager Ryan Poles took a wide receiver with the No. 9 pick:
“It’s always good to have an unlimited number of playmakers,” Moore said before the draft. “But there’s only one ball. So we’ll see what we do. I’m pretty sure we’ll do the right thing no matter what we do. Receiver, lineman, anybody. I’m just looking forward to it.”
D.J. Moore wants the ball…more
Moore made similar comments last season. He was upset by a lack of targets during the Bears’ blowout loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. Per an interview on 670 The Score, Moore said he wanted the ball more since he is an impact player:
“A little upset that I didn’t get the ball, but that’s just the game,” Moore said. “We’ve only got one ball and 11 people on the field, but the defense was really keying into where I was at the whole time. Either rolling coverage or just playing two people with me. That’s just how it goes when you have impact games or make impact plays on a team.
Rome Odunze overkill on the Chicago Bears offense?
Moore isn’t the only person thinking the Bears could have a problem brewing with the new receiver corps. Alex Kay with Bleacher Report wrote the Bears were the “worst” landing spot for Odunze because the rookie would have to compete with elite players for touches:
The Bears are likely to throw on far more than the 51.3 percent of offensive snaps they did with Justin Fields at the helm in 2023—the second-lowest percentage in the NFL last year—but there still won’t be enough passing plays dialed up for Odunze to see anywhere near the usage rate he did for the Huskies.
The wideout is coming off a sterling final collegiate season in which he amassed 1,640 yards and 13 touchdowns on 92 catches. As a rookie, he’ll probably have to settle for just a handful of targets coming his way each week.
Having too many elite pass-catchers may be a good problem for Williams and the Chicago offense to have, but it won’t result in the type of early stardom that Odunze likely would have found elsewhere.
Hopefully, the Bears won’t have a situation where a star wide receiver causes drama in the locker room because they’re not being targeted enough. Rumors have persisted that A.J. Brown with the Philadelphia Eagles and Stefon Diggs with the Buffalo Bills caused issues with their respective teams and quarterbacks because they wanted the ball more.
Moore doesn’t seem to be that type of player. Allen can’t complain too much since the aging pass catcher will be set to hit free agency next offseason.
There is one good reason no one in Chicago should be worried about having too many weapons–injuries.
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