A breakout season could be coming for Chicago Bears second-year wide receiver Rome Odunze after a rookie year that left fans wanting more.
Odunze joined the Bears with big expectations after being selected ninth overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. Those expectations were inflated even more by Odunze being part of the same draft class -- and first round -- that included quarterback Caleb Williams.
Naturally, visions of the rookie tandem taking the NFL by storm danced through all Bears fans' heads.
But that didn't happen in Year 1. Instead, Odunze finished last season with just 54 catches for 734 yards and three touchdowns.
Unfortunately, Odunze was one of many Chicago Bears skill players who were victimized by Shane Waldron's offense. D.J. Moore, one of the NFL's top pass-catchers who was fresh off a career year in 2023 (over 1,300 yards), ended last season with 966 yards, which was just the second time in the last six years that he failed to reach the 1,000-yard receiving mark.
Waldron and the entire 2024 coaching staff (for the most part) are gone, and they've been replaced by what's quickly become the most exciting young set of coaches in the NFL, led by Ben Johnson, who was the belle of the 2025 offseason coaching ball.
And he's impressed by what he's seeing from Odunze early at the Chicago Bears' OTA workouts.
"Yeah, I'm extremely impressed," Johnson said on Wednesday. "To be a second-year guy, you would expect a little more inconsistency. The way he approaches the meeting room, the walkthroughs, the on the field drill work, it's very much like a seasoned pro. Some of the best that I've been around.
"He's still learning, I know there's a lot of information that's getting thrown his way. Coach Randle El and Picazo are doing great jobs with him right now. I think we're going to see a lot of growth from him, not just in the springtime but once we get to camp.
The Bears selected tight end Colston Loveland in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft, and added the supremely gifted Luther Burden III in Round 2. Both pass-catchers are expected to contribute in a big way this season, but it's Odunze whose upside is higher than any other skill player on Chicago's roster.
If Johnson unlocks all of the traits that made Rome Odunze one of the top-rated players in the 2024 draft, he'll also be unlocking Williams and big-play ability, which means wins will be unlocked, too.
And that's all Bears fans could hope for in Year 1 of this new era in Chicago.
