From Rookie Promise to WR1: Odunze’s historic start with the Bears

Stephen Sylvanie - USA Today Sports

Dustin Riese · Senior Writer · 6 hours ago

When you look back at the 2024 NFL Draft, you could make the case that Rome Odunze was the best Wide Receiver in his class. While Marvin Harrison Jr and Malik Nabers were drafted first, it's very clear that Odunze was one of the steals of the first round as the Bears made sure they took him with the No. 9 overall selection to pair him with Caleb Williams for the foreseeable future.

Keep in mind, the Bears traded for DJ Moore two years before that, and from all accounts, Moore was the No. 1 option for the Bears during his first two seasons, as he put up massive numbers for Justin Fields when he was under center. Since Williams arrived, Moore has not only seen his numbers decline, but he has also become more of a No. 3 option this season, which is a tough reality to accept.

That doesn't mean he is struggling or anything like that, but more so that he doesn't have the same chemistry with Williams as he did with Fields. Sometimes that happens in today's game, as the chemistry that Odunze and Williams have built was evident since day one, and you got a real sense that this pairing was going to work.

Despite getting off to a slow start during his rookie season, Odunze still went on to post excellent numbers overall as he finished the season with 734 yards and three touchdowns on 54 receptions. Those are quality numbers for a No. 2 receiver in any season, but to post those numbers as a rookie goes to show that the future was bright for the now second-year man.

After spending a considerable amount of time working with Williams during the offseason, Odunze not only came into this season with a great deal of confidence but also wanted to emerge as the team's No. 1 option. Not only has he done that, but he has done so in a massive way, leading the Bears in receptions (20), yards (296), and touchdowns (5). In fact, he has scored a touchdown in every game this season, ranking No. 1 in the NFL in touchdown receptions.

No one is expecting him to average at least one touchdown per game, even though he does have the potential to do it, but with a career high mark already there, there is no telling what is still to come for the second-year man this season. The real story about what Odunze is doing is not only that he is having one of the best starts to the NFL season, but he is having one of the best starts in franchise history, regardless of position.

With his five scores, and at least one score in every game, he has accomplished something that only one other person has done, as the great Walter Payton was the only other player in Bears history to achieve a feat like this by scoring a touchdown in every one of the team's first four games. That accomplishment came in 1986, so it goes to show how long it has been since a Bear has gotten off to the start Odunze has.

While Odunze will never come close to the player Payton is and rightfully so, anytime you can be mentioned in the same sentence as the Bears great, you know you are doing something right, and Odunze is doing a lot of good things right now, which has to have the fans excited for what is to come.

In a world where teams have been drafting WR/QB combos that played together in college, it's refreshing to see the Bears adopt an approach similar to that. Odunze and Williams faced off against each other numerous times in college, but never played on the same team. They did, however, have plenty of respect for one another and stated before the NFL draft that they would love to play together in the NFL.

Not only did the Bears make that happen, but you would never have guessed that they weren't teammates in the past, as these two look like they have been playing together for years. It has been a long time since the Bears had a franchise quarterback and wide receiver combo, as the Jay Cutler/Brandon Marshall combo comes to mind, but the Odunze/Williams combo seems to be molding into what could be one of the great franchise duos in today's game.

To put into perspective how great a start Odunze has made, his 17-game pace for this season would be 85 receptions, 1,258 yards, and 21 scores. Those would be career-high numbers, and the 21 scores would put him up there with some of the all-time great regular seasons among wide receivers.