Rome Odunze could have a special teams role this season for Matt Eberflus and the Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears hope they have their pairing of the future at quarterback and wide receiver after they drafted Caleb Williams No. 1 overall and then wide receiver Rome Odunze No. 9 overall in the 2024 NFL draft.
With Rome Odunze being added to a wide receiver room that already has DJ Moore and Keenan Allen, it’s more firepower for Williams and the offense. Odunze is expected to play a role on the offense early but there could be special plans for him as well.
During training camp, Rome Odunze has been getting reps fielding punts and it’s not just a few reps but rather he’s been doing it almost all training camp. So is this just something to get Odunze doing a little extra in practice? Or will he actually return punts for the Bears this year?
Eberflus did not tip his hand one way or the other and left the door open while talking to Kay Adams of the Up and Adams Show from Halas Hall:
“He’s good at it, number one,” Eberflus said. “Yeah, but he’s done it in the past. [Odunze] said, ‘Hey, I can return punts,’ and he talked to us about it during the draft process. And he’s really, really good at it, and he’s dynamic back there. We’ll see if we’re gonna get him a couple touches in the game” Eberflus continued. “He’s got speed and he’s got explosion. And certainly … yards after catch, you see that. And he can break tackles. So, we’ll see how it goes.”
Adams did tell Eberflus that he barely did it in college but that didn’t seem to phase the head coach or steer him away from his plan.
Rome Odunze is comfortable returning punts
While taking reps back there, it doesn’t look like Rome Odunze is struggling at all. Instead, he’s doing well and for someone who hasn’t returned punts much, it may not seem like a bad idea.
Odunze has skills as a ball carrier, showcasing his run after catch abilities while at Washington. He led the nation in total receiving yards with 1,640 in 2023 and 30 percent of those coming from yards after the catch.
Even Dane Brugler was a fan of the idea:
Love it.
Rome Odunze returned only two punts last season at UW, but one was this 83-yard house call. https://t.co/TJCQpzSCmU pic.twitter.com/7xfBghRBCq
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) August 8, 2024
The 83-yard punt return was a special one, showcasing Odunze’s return skills. Plus, Odunze grew up idolizing Bears’ legend Devin Hester as he was his favorite player growing up. So we can see where he gets his desire to possibly want to return punts this season.
The interview with Adams wasn’t the only time that Eberflus left the door open for Rome Odunze to return punts, either. During his press conference with the media, he offered up this answer:
“We’ll talk about that,” Eberflus responded. “I know we have, you guys have seen, three or four guys back there [returning punts]. We’ll talk about exactly who is going to start that and then how many reps each guy gets. Same with the punters, how many reps we’re going to get those guys.”
Odunze wouldn’t be the first rookie to return punts in the NFL, either. Players like Dez Bryant, Amari Cooper and even Tyreek Hill all did it in their rookie seasons. So it’s really not out of the ordinary. Will Odunze get the full time job doing it all season long? That’s not likely.
But will he be back there this Saturday against Buffalo getting a chance? It’s possible and it will be something we have to keep our eyes on it throughout the game.
Caleb Williams doesn’t deserve to have to meet unfair expectations set upon by Bears fans
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