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Top 26 Chicago Bears of 2026: Finding Rome Odunze's Full Potential

After two seasons when injuries or the need for others to get the ball limited production, the 2024 first-round pick now needs to ascend as a go-to receiver.
Gene Chamberlain|
Rome Odunze (,akes a catch for a touchdown against Detroit. The Bears would like to see more production like this from their 2024 first-round draft pick.
Rome Odunze (,akes a catch for a touchdown against Detroit. The Bears would like to see more production like this from their 2024 first-round draft pick. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

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Chicago Bears

A day after last season ended, Rome Odunze stood in front of his locker and had a tough time hiding disappointment in how his season ended while he fielded reporters questions.

A broken foot, his rushed return for the playoff run, and just 11 catches over his final five games played made for a sputtering conclusion.

Odunze's first two years with 98 catches seems a little low for the ninth overall pick in a draft, and his decline by 10 catches from his rookie year made it seem lower. But there's no telling how much the injury took from his production.

Whatever the reason, he still has a 14.2-yard average per catch for two seasons and that's either better than or right in stride within what the best receivers from his draft class have achieved.
His career yards per catch is just behind draft classmates Marvin Harrison Jr. (14.5) and Brian Thomas (14.7) but well ahead of Malik Nabers' 11.6. His nine TDs is the same total Nabers has.

Best of all for the Bears, he looks like he's healthy even if he says the foot will never feel exactly the same as before he injured it. It's a reason he rates No. 7 on the top 26 Bears list for 2026.

"He's out there, he says he feels great," coach Ben Johnson said. "He looks good to me. We go back and forth (talking) with the coaching staff and he looks like the same old Rome. So I think we're in good shape.”

The reason for Johnson's optimism is simply seeing Odunze healthy and practicing. The numbers from early 2025 back his potential. Through seven games, Odunze was producing at a rate that would have given him 75 receptions, 1,148 yards and 12 touchdowns. Instead, it was 44 catches, 661 yards and six TDs when all had ended.

"It was tough," Odunze said during offseason work. "I was gearing up for a great season. I felt like I was on track to have that. Injuries are part of the game and unfortunately, I feel like it affected me more than injuries have in the past. That wasn't obviously the goal."

Availability as the best ability

Johnson is already counting on 17 games from Odunze, and said it almost like it's required after just 12 games last year.

"He’s going to lay it out on the line every time he gets on the grass," Johnson said. "I think his teammates appreciate that. His coaching staff certainly appreciates that.

"Hopefully we can get him for 17-plus games this year and his career will really take off from that.”

The other big reason to expect more from Odunze besides health is DJ Moore being in Buffalo now. Odunze last year led the Bears in target share with 90 despite missing five games, but Moore was right behind at 85. They'll split Moore's share up between Odunze, Colston Loveland, Luther Burden III and the slot receivers now. It will likely mean more work for Odunze.

"I love the challenge of looking at Luther Burden and how do we get him the ball and maximize what he does best, along with Rome, along with Colston and Cole (Kmet)," Johnson said. "We have this whole slew of weapons that we're looking to maximize. I think that's the fun part.

"The plays don't matter so much to me. It's more so, how do we get these guys the ball with a little bit of space to do what they do so well.”

The decision due on Odunze

The outlook for Odunze might appear bright but there is also a ticking clock to consider. With less than 60 catches a year for both of his first two seasons, the Bears will want to see more before they're going to make a decision before his fifth-year option comes due in May, 2027.

While Caleb Williams' fifth year seems a foregone conclusion for next May, not so for Odunze until they can better gauge what he is capable of from a full season without Moore around as a top target.

It must be kept in mind how Odunze wasn't a receiver drafted by the Ben Johnson-Ryan Poles regime but by the Matt Eberflus-Poles regime. He's going to need to show he can be the type of receiver who fits the Johnson scheme.

If Odunze improved or continued production along his current pace, it probably would lead to getting the option picked up. However, he's not in the clear by any means.

In the past two years, fifth-year options were exercised for first-round receivers Drake London, Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Jameson Williams, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Quentin Johnston, Zay Flowers and Jordan Addison. They were declined on receivers Jahan Dotson and Treylon Burks.

Odunze's productivity definitely is trending correctly and it has been well above both Burks and Dotson after two years, but not above all of the others who had their options picked up. He could cement things by maintaining health and proving to be a go-to type.

With a quarterback who is on a roll, a coach who considered cutting edge for getting receivers schemed open, and the league's third-best ground game last year to help take focus off receivers, Odunze will have every opportunity to prove he deserves to be a top long-term Bears target.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.

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