The Chicago Bears have brought in many new players on offense this offseason. They remade their offensive line and drafted tight end Colston Loveland and wide receiver Luther Burden III. The biggest reason fans are excited about the offense is new head coach, Ben Johnson. He crafted a Detroit Lions offense that was one of the best in the league, streamrolling opponents often. One forgotten member of the offense is receiver Rome Odunze. Despite being picked in the top ten in last year’s draft, he had a relatively quiet season. Odunze was asked about his expectations for the year and set some lofty goals.
Chicago Bears WR Rome Odunze On Year 2
Rome Odunze didn’t have a bad year by any means. He had 54 receptions for 734 yards and three touchdowns. For an offense that fired its offensive coordinator midseason, these are good numbers. However, the former Washington receiver wants to be better in 2025. The team did a lot of losing last year after many picked them to possibly contend for a playoff spot. Odunze was candid about the expectations for year two.
“When it comes to goals-wise, I like to think about the team and winning games and making the playoffs. Individually, wanna go for 1,000 [yards], double digit [touchdowns]. I haven’t honed in on any specific numbers yet, but I’ve always got those things in the back of my mind. I think when you’re doing the right things and you’re having success, and the team is having success, all the statistics and those numbers will come.”
Chicago Bears fans have to love the team goals coming first. It doesn’t matter if Odunze puts up massive numbers if it means finishing in the cellar of the NFC North again. Johnson has shown he can build an offense that can feed many mouths, so there should be plenty of stats to rack up for every player.
What’s Different For Odunze?
Rome Odunze spent the offseason building his strength. He trimmed some fat and put on more lean muscle. In the same interview, he talked about how this will benefit his game.
“I think hand-fighting is a big part about it. And there’s a lot of nit-picky and kind of grabbing in this league that isn’t always shown, because I felt like I needed to build up upper-body mass to be able to combat some of those things and 50-50 balls as well. Just being able to be physical at the catch point and the top of routes, where it’s not necessarily creating separation through a speed cut, but a nudge or a chicken wing, I felt like was necessary. So that’s why I did it.”
Like any rookie, Odunze needed some time to adjust to the NFL game. He realized that the competition in the NFL was much different than the college game. If the 6-foot-3 receiver can start grabbing 50-50 balls, the Chicago Bears offense will be hard to stop.
Final Thoughts
The Chicago Bears will be fun to watch in 2025. Will Ben Johnson be a good head coach, or just a great coordinator? Can Caleb Williams make a year two jump as well? Is the offensive line fixed? There are so many questions, but given the talent especially on the offensive side of the ball, this team will be fun to watch next season.
