Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson will unlock Rome Odunze’s potential in 2025

The Chicago Bears selected University of Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze with the ninth pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, making him the third receiver off the board.

The 22-year-old finished his freshman year in the Windy City with 734 yards, sixth-most by a rookie WR, 548 yards behind rookie leader, Jacksonville’s Brian Thomas Jr. The former Huskie racked up just three touchdowns, tied for seventh-most amongst first-year pass catchers, seven behind league leader Thomas.

Thomas was picked 14 spots behind Odunze. Based on Thomas’ numbers, the Bears grabbed the wrong guy.

Or maybe they didn’t.

Some Caleb Williams to Rome Odunze highlights for your enjoyment on this Thanksgiving morning pic.twitter.com/T5gfd5hAju
— Bearsszn (@bearssznn) November 28, 2024

Rome Falls?

Odunze can’t be entirely blamed for his semi-disappointing season.

He was the third option on a receiving corps led by two target monsters in D.J. Moore and Keenan Allen.

He was hamstrung by a pair of unimaginative offensive coordinators in Shane Waldron and Thomas Brown.

Behind an iffy offensive line, his quarterback Caleb Williams rarely had enough time to fully survey the field.

The good news is that the Bears now have a creative play caller in new coach Ben Johnson, almost $70 million of cap space to improve the O-line, and a QB with a full year of NFL experience under his belt.

So Rome better get ready.

Every Rome Odunze catch from 112-yard game vs. Colts | Week 3 pic.twitter.com/cuauT1GkSk
— Football Film (@F00TBALLFILM) September 22, 2024

Stick ‘Em Up

Last year, the rookie saw 101 targets, 39 less than Moore and 20 below Allen. (Note: Allen missed two games.) That’s a reasonable number of balls for a rookie WR3, but Odunze’s catch rate was 55.7%, which likely didn’t earn him Williams’ trust.

But don’t freak out: Odunze is a gym rat, and chances are he’s spending his offseason making sure his hands are far stickier in ’25.

Caleb Williams to Rome Odunze.

What a throw and catch. pic.twitter.com/buCWXmBU3g
— Dave (@dave_bfr) January 5, 2025

Opportunity Might Knock

An almost-33-year-old unrestricted free agent likely looking for a contract in the neighborhood of $60 million over three years, Keenan Allen’s return is very much in question, and if the Bears do let the vet walk, Odunze's target share will increase exponentially.

Rome Odunze made a difficult play look easy. pic.twitter.com/6jL3LI1xP1
— Chris Emma (@CEmma670) December 8, 2024

With a slicker offensive scheme, some improved quarterback protection, and a more experienced signal caller, Rome Odunze is poised for one helluva year two.