Momentum continues to build for Rome Odunze to become the Bears’ WR1

The Chicago Bears envision Rome Odunze becoming a dominant go-to guy in the NFL. It’s why they selected him with the ninth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. But after a rookie season that fell short of those expectations, Odunze’s outlook for 2025 has been unstable at best.

Still, no one is worried about Odunze being a bust. He’s nowhere near that talking point. His 54 catches for 734 yards and three touchdowns in 2024 included enough exciting moments to feel good about his trajectory in an offense now led by Ben Johnson.

And it’s an offense that’s likely to feature Rome Odunze, who Johnson said is unlike any receiver he’s coached in the NFL so far.

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Johnson’s appreciation for Odunze’s skill set suggests he will find ways — and a lot of them, too — to take advantage of the former Washington Huskies star, something that was lacking when Shane Waldron was calling plays in 2024.

Odunze, like most of the Chicago Bears’ skill players, didn’t seem to have a clear role or fit for Waldron, who, for some reason, ran an offense that targeted Keenan Allen 20 more times than Odunze (and Allen only played in 15 games).

That won’t be the case in 2024. Instead, Odunze has a legitimate chance to be the most-targeted wideout on the Chicago Bears. It’s especially true if D.J. Moore gets more reps out of the backfield in 2025.

If there’s one thing we know for sure at this time of year, it’s that the Bears have no shortage of explosive weapons on offense in 2025. And Rome Odunze may end up being the best of them all.