Ben Johnson Provides Key Insight Into Bears' Combative WR1 Conversation

Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III will both be vying for positioning when it comes to the conversation as to who the top dog is in the Bears' wide receiver room.

Jun 11, 2026; Lake Forest, IL, USA; Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson looks on during Minicamp at Halas Hall. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Bears are in an interesting position when it comes to their receiver room. They have a DJ Moore-sized hole on that unit, and a few promising pass-catchers eager to fill it.

The debate as to who the Bears' top pass-catcher will be this season between Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III has been a spirited one.

While virtually everyone is excited about Burden's future, some think he could play second-fiddle to Odunze given his draft position and how well he was playing before getting hurt last season (he was on pace for 1,100 yards in Week 8). Meanwhile, his untimely drops and lack of contested catches have led some to sour on Odunze's outlook.

Dec 28, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; Chicago Bears wide receiver Luther Burden III (10) makes a catch to score a touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers in the first half at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Ben Johnson had an interesting take on the conversation when speaking to the media on Friday. He said the coaching staff will be evaluating every route that the receivers run, regardless of whether or not they get the ball, to decide whether they're worthy of being schemed open as the primary receiver.

"They're earning the right to become the primary receiver on as many pass concepts as possible," Johnson said. "When you have a lot of talented players, they take a lot of pride in that. That's what gives you great practices and makes the defense better. We're going to become a better team because of that."

In short, the Bears won't feature a "number one" receiver in the figurative sense. The primary target on each play will be whoever proved that they deserve to have the ball go their way on that specific concept.

The targets will go to whoever earns them

Nov 9, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze (15) makes a catch against New York Giants safety Jevon Holland (8) during the first half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Bears might not have an established veteran who has played the position at a high level (Kalif Raymond has been more of a special teams ace and gadget guy throughout his career). However, they do boast three extremely talented young pass-catchers who are hungry to make their mark.

Odunze and Burden are the unquestioned top WIDE receivers on the team, but you could make a strong argument that tight end Colston Loveland has the highest ceiling among the entire pass-catching unit. Based on Ben Johnson's comments, he appears destined to be the primary target in a healthy dose of concepts.

Johnson, who is unanimously considered one of the league's best offensive masterminds, is the one designing the plays, and he's going to scheme up targets for whoever earns them. The ball will be designed to go to whichever player proves to be the best at running each route or leveraging each concept. That's a majorly underrated perk of having an offense without a clear top receiver, especially when a team boasts a receiver room with as much untapped potential as the Bears have.

The number one receiver conversation is officially a moot point. Johnson is the perfect man to get the most out of the room, and he's going to put each player in a position to succeed. They're all going to eat as a result.