After trading D.J. Moore to the Buffalo Bills, there wasn’t much of a panic from Chicago Bears fans. They felt the team still had two wide receivers as pillars who would lead the team forward. One was Rome Odunze, and the other was Luther Burden. Both had flashed plenty of potential last season in Ben Johnson’s offense. With another offseason to learn it, they are poised to have a big season in 2026. However, that hasn’t stopped lots of pre-draft chatter about the Bears being more involved in the wide receiver position than you would expect.
Sure, the team has some depth concerns, but it doesn’t feel like that would warrant a pick in the first three rounds. Yet from how Bears head coach Ben Johnson spoke at the owners meetings down in Arizona on Monday, it’s pretty clear he isn’t as satisfied with the wide receiver room as fans and media might be.
“I think coaching-wise, we need to do a better job of getting the primary receiver open. I think our route detail has gotta improve. And our ball location. And simply catching the football has gotta improve there.”
Rest assured, Odunze was at the center of those comments. Johnson hasn’t forgotten the receiver’s persistent drop issues from last season. He had five. For context, Puca Nacua also had five, but that was while being targeted 200 times, while Odunze only had 99. It was a problem, and the Bears expect improvement.
“That’s something we’ll talk to him about,” Johnson said. “I don’t think that was a thing for him coming out. I don’t want to speak that into existence. That’s something as an entire offense we’re going to emphasize here in the springtime: getting back to our fundamentals, back to the basics, as simple as that sounds. Catching the football is part of it.”
Rome Odunze is in an uncomfortable position.
The drop issues alone were troubling last year. That is, before you’re reminded that he also suffered a debilitating foot injury that hampered him most of the season. It is an injury he chose not to have surgically repaired this offseason, believing/hoping that the extended rest would give it a chance to heal. If doctors gave him that advice, one can only trust they know what they’re talking about. History shows that foot problems tend to linger in positions like wide receiver, where running and cutting at high speed are crucial.
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Then you have the elephant in the room. Yes, Rome Odunze was the 9th overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft. Yes, he absolutely deserved to be at the time. Nobody questioned it. However, there is one big issue that can’t be glossed over.
Johnson had no say in Odunze being drafted.
The Bears’ new head coach inherited him from a different regime. Now that isn’t always a death sentence. There are many examples of new coaches coming in and embracing established players. That said, we already know this staff isn’t above unloading proven names if they feel it doesn’t fit their vision. Ask Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker.
This season is sink or swim for Odunze.
The Bears are already laying the groundwork for a massive contract extension for Caleb Williams. Their young quarterback proved he was on the right track last season and is their future. The same can’t be said for Rome Odunze. Not yet, anyway. His contract is also reaching that stage where extension talks should be happening. Yet it’s likely they haven’t. The Bears didn’t see enough last year to justify it. Sure, he had a strong start and some pivotal moments in the playoffs.
He also had some lowlights. The injury and that brutal drop against Los Angeles are two such examples. Chicago is operating like they will wait and see until after this season. If Odunze stays healthy and cuts down on the mental mistakes, they won’t have any qualms about opening those extension talks. That said, if it’s more of the same this year, don’t be shocked if the team starts looking for alternatives. This is not the sort of regime that is afraid to move on from established players or high draft picks. Brisker is gone. Tyrique Stevenson was all but benched. Kiran Amegajie is all but gone.
Odunze is not safe, and he’d best recognize that.
