The Chicago Bears have been aggressive in bringing in new faces to rebuild their offense under new head coach Ben Johnson. But it’s not like they didn’t already have talent on the roster.
Johnson has company has primarily been building in the trenches. By trading for Jonah Jackson and Joe Thuney, and then signing Drew Dalman, Chicago proved they’re serious about getting Caleb Williams better protection up front. And if he’s upright in the pocket, Williams will have an opportunity to make a play downfield.
When he looks up the gridiron, one of the premier pass catchers he will be throwing to is sophomore Rome Odunze. After an average rookie season, Alex Kay of Bleacher Report thinks Odunze is primed for a breakout year following the Bears free agency additions.
“Odunze will not only benefit from improvements to Williams’ protection, but also from Keenan Allen being out of the picture,” Kay wrote.”
“The Bears elected not to retain Allen following after a lone campaign in the Windy City. Allen was one of Williams’ favorite targets last year—the veteran’s 121 targets trailed only DJ Moore for most on the team—and many of those vacated looks are poised to head Odunze’s way this coming season.”
“With less competition for targets and more time for his quarterback to throw, Odunze will make a Pro Bowl leap in 2025,” Kay concluded.
While Keenan Allen could always re-sign with the Bears, there has been indication that the team and player have had free agent communications.
Rome Odunze’s rookie season with Chicago Bears
Drafted with the No. 9 overall pick in 2024, Odunze was brought in as an immediate weapon for Williams. As they continue their NFL careers, both will be linked as long as they’re on the same contract cycle. Heading into 2025, the connection between Williams and Odunze will be one of the biggest talking points on the entire roster.
The wide receiver appeared in all 17 games as a rookie, starting 12 of them. Odunze ended up making 54 grabs for 734 yards and three touchdowns. He broke 100+ receiving yards just twice on the season and two of his receiving touchdowns came in the same game.
However, Odunze received 101 targets as a rookie. Allen received 121 that will need to be dispersed if he isn’t re-signed. It’s clear that Williams and Odunze have a strong connection. It’s now up to Odunze to take another step forward and become an even bigger part of the passing offense.
Working in his favor should be Johnson himself. Odunze’s first year had him go through numerous different play callers. That makes it different for quarterback and wide receiver to be on equal footing. Now, Odunze will be in a consistent offense with a direct plan for success in place.
Johnson loves the pass
Much has been made of what Johnson was able to do with the Lions run game. They had a two-headed monster of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, who were seemingly always making an impact. However, the now head coach was able to extract an impressive passing attack from Jared Goff and company.
Detroit finished the 2024 campaign ranked second in the league by averaging 409.5 passing yards per game. In turn, Chicago ranked dead last, averaging 284.6 yards per game.
Four different players had over 500 receiving yards, and both receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams had over 1,000. Three different players had seven touchdown receptions while nine players overall caught a touchdown. So while Johnson knows how to spread the ball around, he also has a knack for making his stars shine.
Odunze will now be his latest project. Based on his draft capital, Johnson has plenty of talent to work with. Playing next to DJ Moore, Odunze will have an opportunity to reach his true ceiling in 2025. And if it’s as high as the Chicago Bears are hoping, the rest of the NFL has been put on notice.
Chicago Bears to add another receiver to their already deep core: Insider
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