The Chicago Bears are off until training camp, but the expectations for the group are full of anticipated steps forward for several players. And for all of the discussion around second-year Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, his draft classmate, Rome Odunze, is in a similar boat.
Odunze was the No. 9 overall pick, taken eight slots after Williams.
The 23-year-old playmaker caught 54 passes for 734 yards and 3 touchdowns as a rookie, but the production left on the field could translate better this coming season.
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Odunze spoke candidly about the work he has put in this offseason in preparation for his second year in the NFL. There is a belief in him and improved circumstances that the Bears have created this offseason.
Pro Football Focus’ Bradley Locker listed Odunze on his “All-Breakout Team.” Locker is hardly alone in his optimism about Odunze.
“Simply put, there’s far too much talent for the former top 10 pick to grow panicked this early. Looking at Odunze’s underlying metrics, even his rookie year offers optimism given his 72.2% contested catch rate (97th percentile) and 4.8 yards after the catch per reception (67th percentile),” Locker wrote on June 10.
“With a more stable infrastructure, better quarterback play and play-caller who knows how to get his top weapons the ball, Odunze should look more like the superstar we saw at Washington.”
Keenan Allen’s Absence Good News for Rome Odunze
Odunze earned a 65.3 receiving grade from PFF, ranking 14th among all rookie wideouts, sixth among those with at least 96 targets during the regular season. He posted a 48-657-3 line from Weeks 3 through 16.
But anticipation for Odunze’s breakout is as much about that infrastructure and QB play, which should be improved under the play caller, new head coach Ben Johnson.
The Bears have not re-signed Keenan Allen, who remains a free agent.
Allen caught 70 passes (on 121 targets) for 744 yards, both of which ranked second on the team behind DJ Moore. He also hauled in a team-leading 7 TD receptions, showing a strong rapport with Williams, particularly late in the season.
The Bears added more playmakers to Williams’ arsenal, including using their first two picks of the 2025 NFL Draft on tight end Colston Loveland and wide receiver Luther Burden III.
However, there is a world where they combine to tally Odunze’s rookie numbers.
In that scenario, Odunze would receive the targets that Allen did and, with improved chemistry with Williams, do more with them than the six-time Pro Bowler was able to last season. That is, assuming the Bears and Allen do not reach a surprise agreement in training camp.