Look back over Chicago Bears history and it is almost impossible to find great wide receiver groups. Willie Gault and Dennis McKinnon were solid but nothing special. Curtis Conway and Jeff Graham had a couple of strong years together. Probably the best group was Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery, and Earl Bennett in 2013 and 2014. It is difficult to pinpoint why the organization struggles so much in this area. Part of it is terrible evaluation, another is bad quarterback play, and one can’t forget injuries. However, this 2024 has a chance to become special, at least in the eyes of Steve Smith Sr.

The former All-Pro receiver for the Carolina Panthers and Baltimore Ravens was one of the best of his era in the 2000s. Since retiring, he has built an excellent reputation for identifying wide receiver talent coming out of college. He believes the Bears have built one of the most interesting trios in the NFL. They already had two stalwarts in D.J. Moore and Keenan Allen. Then they added another dawg in Rome Odunze. What stands out to Smith is how all three men play like alphas on the field. That should lead to a heated competition to see who can make the most plays every Sunday.

Not only will it help Odunze get better, but it will also make the Bears much harder to stop.

Steve Smith Sr. knows this type of situation well.

He’s played in it before. His teams had the most success when he had other guys on the roster fighting for the ball. First, it was Muhsin Muhammad in Carolina, then Greg Olsen, and then it became Torrey Smith in Baltimore. What the Bears have put together is far above anything Smith experienced. That would explain why he is so excited about the possibilities. If Moore, Allen, and Odunze continue exuding the “my ball” mentality they have in previous seasons, the battle for Caleb Williams’ attention will be fierce. Offensive coordinator Shane Waldron will have a tough time juggling targets for them.

This is a great problem to have, and Steve Smith knows it. Competition brings out the best in guys, and their fight for the ball will only make Williams’ life easier. If the passing game can produce at a higher level and the defense remains strong, this could be a playoff team. It comes down to health and how much Williams can learn about reading NFL defenses in a short period of time. Then again, it’s not like that trio will have a hard time giving him open looks.

With the NFL draft in the rearview mirror, all eyes have shifted to the end of July. That is when the Chicago Bears will convene in Lake Forest for training camp. It figures to be a competitive event. Everybody knows the defense will show up like usual. They have talent across the board. However, they may find the offense isn’t the same pushover they’ve been in years past. They’ve been reinforced by two excellent wide receivers in Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze, while adding #1 overall pick Caleb Williams at quarterback. The competition should be fun to watch.

However, it could get even better based on new information regarding an organizational overhaul. According to Bill Zimmerman of Windy City Gridiron, the Bears have dismissed Vice President of Communications Brandon Faber. For years, he was the one most directly responsible for the team’s strict training camp policies regarding no video from the event. Plenty of other teams don’t seem as strict about this sort of thing. Maybe his departure could lead to the Bears easing some of the restrictions, allowing fans who can’t make it to practices to watch their favorite players work to improve.

The Chicago Bears remain part of a weird NFL trend.

While filming individual drills and warmups is fine, teams get really paranoid about the idea of video of full team drills getting out. Apparently, they fear other teams catching wind of plans they may have regarding the scheme. It’s frankly ridiculous. If other teams wanted that information so badly, they’d have professional spies who can do that. They wouldn’t rely on fan video clips. A big opportunity is in front of the Bears. They can drastically alter the fan experience for the better if they slacken their restrictions.

Either way, training camp figures to be an exciting one. The Chicago Bears have the best roster on paper they’ve had in the past several years. Many feel they are on the cusp of a playoff push. If Williams can avoid too many of the typical rookie setbacks and guys stay healthy, they are capable of reaching January football. A good training camp would be the start of it. Nothing would get the fans juiced up for September more than seeing lots of great video clips.

The Chicago Bears got a lot of heat from certain sections of the media and fandom when they took Tory Taylor in the 4th round. Some people are naturally predisposed to hate when punters get drafted at all. Good specialists can be found in undrafted free agency and veteran free agency all the time. It seems like such a wasted draft pick. Never mind the fact that four punters have been drafted in the 4th round or higher since 2010. One is a two-time Pro Bowler and the other three are still with the teams that drafted them. The truth is punters drafted that high tend to work out more often than bust.

Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune spoke to people around the league about Taylor. It was clear almost immediately that he was leagues above everybody else in this class. In fact, there was an undercurrent that if the board fell a certain way, he was good enough to go in the 3rd or even the 2nd round. One thing was clear. If the Bears hadn’t pounced on him when they did, there was no way Taylor was making it to the 5th round.

GM Ryan Poles felt the odds of hitting on the pick were far higher by taking him.

I think it was a wise move because Taylor, whom the Bears drafted with the 122nd pick, was head and shoulders above the rest of the class in the estimation of evaluators I spoke with, including scouts and — more important — special teams coaches…

…Back to using a fourth-round pick on a punter. When I chatted with a couple of scouts, they thought Taylor was a likely fourth-rounder and one said he could envision a team making a move for him in the third round or even at the back end of Round 2. His thinking was that while it would be unorthodox, if you have conviction that Taylor would transform your punting game and make you one of the better units in the league for five-plus seasons, it makes sense. You’ve passed on the opportunity to take a player at a position with greater significance for a punter you believe is more of a sure thing. Most personnel folks will tell you a fourth-round pick has maybe a 50% chance of panning out as a productive NFL player, and some might say the odds are a little less than that.

Tory Taylor can change games.

His ability to boom long punts and consistently drop them inside the 20 was a huge reason Iowa had winning records despite an atrocious offense the past two years. Poles said his goal was to find ways to make opposing teams uncomfortable. Few things do that better than being backed up against your own end zone. While the Bears may not have invested much into their defense this off-season, they still managed to find a weapon that can help them in a vital way. Defending longer fields will make life so much easier for them.

The fact that Chicago cut Trenton Gill mere days after the pick went down should tell you all you need to know. They didn’t even bother with a camp competition. Tory Taylor is their guy. They believe in him that much. It isn’t hard to see why. He has tons of college experience, loads of talent, and is already in his mid-20s. He’s a grown man. There shouldn’t be much of a transition period for him. He could have success right out of the gate. The Bears believe he will. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have taken him so early.

In the NFL, where raw talent meets the crucible of intense competition, the path to stardom is often paved by innate skill and rigorous preparation. For Rome Odunze, the Chicago Bears’ recent draft pick, that preparation came in part from an experienced mentor: former Pro Bowl receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh. T.J.’s endorsement and training of Odunze add an intriguing layer of credibility to the rookie’s anticipated debut season.

During their offseason training sessions, T.J. focused on refining Odunze’s already impressive abilities—emphasizing route running, ball handling, and game situation simulations. This mentorship is critical in transitioning from college football success to professional prominence. “Big, fast, ball skills are really crazy,” Houshmandzadeh described on the Parkins & Spiegel Show, pointing out Odunze’s ease at making challenging catches look routine.

Statistically, Odunze’s college performance provides a strong foundation for predicting his NFL impact. At Washington, he logged 92 receptions for 1,640 yards and 13 touchdowns in his final season, showcasing his ability to be a dominant offensive force. Advanced metrics like yards per route run (YPRR) further illuminate his efficiency and effectiveness on the field—attributes honed further under T.J.’s guidance.

Odunze’s stats compared to those of NFL greats, such as Larry Fitzgerald, whom T.J. sometimes compares him to, offer additional insights. Fitzgerald, known for his outstanding collegiate and NFL careers, also benefited from exceptional early mentorship and training. In Fitzgerald’s final college season, he posted 1,672 receiving yards and 22 touchdowns. Odunze’s numbers and physical attributes mirror this profile, suggesting a potential for similar success.

Another critical statistic is Odunze’s catch rate, which stood at about 68% last season. This high percentage reflects not only his natural ability but also the specific areas of focus during his training sessions with T.J., particularly improving his reception consistency under various defensive pressures.

The impact of Houshmandzadeh’s mentorship can also be quantified through changes in Odunze’s technical skills like route precision and timing. These skills are crucial for making the leap to the NFL, where windows of opportunity are narrower, and defenders are quicker. Odunze’s ability to adapt and refine these skills further will be essential as he integrates into the Bears’ offensive schemes.

As we approach the new NFL season, all eyes will be on Odunze to see if he can translate his collegiate achievements and the intensive, focused training with a seasoned pro into a standout rookie year. His physical prowess, statistical achievements, and specialized training with Houshmandzadeh not only raise expectations but also provide a compelling narrative of potential NFL greatness.

In professional football, where every play can define a career, Rome Odunze is poised to make his mark. Backed by strong statistical foundations and the seasoned insights of T.J. Houshmandzadeh, this young athlete is not just stepping onto the field; he’s sprinting toward a future that may echo the game’s legends. The question now is not if but how spectacularly Rome Odunze will rise to the challenge.

Ryan Poles understood how important the decision ahead of him was. Most NFL general managers get one crack at picking their own quarterback for a franchise. If you get it wrong, you’ll likely be unemployed within the next three years. If you get it right, you could run the organization for a decade and maybe win a Lombardi trophy. The Chicago Bears knew by the end of the 2023 season that Justin Fields wasn’t the guy they needed to reach the next level. So work began on finding him. They held the #1 overall pick. It was a golden opportunity to get it right. After months of work, they landed on Caleb Williams from USC.

It wasn’t a shocking decision. Most draft experts had Williams as the top quarterback prospect in this class and one of the best to come out of college in at least a decade. He has a unique blend of arm strength, accuracy, mobility, and improvisational instincts. The physical skills were all there. However, Poles understood it would take more than that to achieve success in the NFL. He needed to find out what went on between Williams’ ears. In talking with Larry Mayer of ChicagoBears.com, the GM pinpointed two key moments that won him over.

The first came at the scouting combine in February when they met him for the first time.

“It’s just an awkward setting,” Poles told ChicagoBears.com. “You have a room full of people and this draft prospect just walks into this suite in a stadium. But we realized quickly he was very comfortable in his own skin; talking about himself, talking about his experience at USC, talking about the film we put up on the screen.

“You like to see someone who has a slow pulse in a pressure situation. Now, does that tell you everything about their game? No, but being comfortable with what you know and who you are, that’s important, especially at that position, and he definitely had that.”

Poles, head coach Matt Eberflus, team president Kevin Warren, offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, and passing game coordinator Thomas Brown were all at the meeting. It would’ve been easy for any young player to shrink in the face of so many top decision-makers. Williams appeared to take it in stride. Composure in a high-stakes environment is a priceless asset.

Yet the second selling point might be even more so.

The night before his Pro Day workout, Williams dined in a private room at a friend’s restaurant, The Bird Streets Club in West Hollywood, with a large Bears ensemble that included Poles, Eberflus, Cunningham, Waldron, Brown and quarterbacks coach Kerry Joseph. Also on hand were four of Williams’ USC teammates that Poles had invited.

“I just wanted to see him interact with his teammates,” Poles said. “I wanted to see how comfortable they were just having conversations and also spending time with them to get a feel for Caleb and what those guys like to do in their free time.

“What we saw is that glue component that he has, which is to bring people together for whatever their goal is. For them it was to get into the playoffs, be successful, but that also goes a long way when you go through hard times as well and adversity and keeping guys together. He definitely had that. There was something special in the way that his teammates looked at him.”

Caleb Williams checked two critical boxes.

He shows poise under pressure and can garner the love and respect of his teammates. Those two traits are considered vital for any franchise quarterback. Go back through most of the Bears’ history, and you’ll find every quarterback they’ve had missing one, the other, or both. Cutler had poise, but his teammates never liked him. Teammates loved Rex Grossman but seemed to struggle in high-pressure situations. Cade McNown had no poise, and his teammates hated him. Jim McMahon was the only one who seemed to have both attributes. Sadly, he could never stay healthy.

Nobody can say Poles didn’t do his homework. He understood the stakes when the evaluations of Caleb Williams became serious. Scouting the player is one thing. Scouting the person is another. The Bears covered every conceivable angle before making the decision to draft him. If Williams fails after all of this, it won’t be because the organization did something wrong. They dug into the details. They surrounded him with legitimate weapons. He has an experienced offensive coordinator who has worked with him before.

Almost no #1 pick in NFL history had it this good when he got to the league. It’s on Williams now.

The NFL draft can be a nerve-racking experience for a general manager. This is because the vast majority of it is out of your control. Players you may have an eye on can so easily end up on another roster despite your best efforts to get them. Ryan Poles knows this well. He’s seen it happen plenty of times to his team over the years since becoming a scout and personnel man. Going into the 2024 draft, the Chicago Bears GM knew he would get his quarterback at #1 overall. The difficult part was waiting to see what happened with his #9 pick. Poles had worked out multiple scenarios depending on what happened after #1, but he was sure of one thing.

The Bears really wanted Rome Odunze.

It was felt that the Washington wide receiver had all the attributes they looked for in a great player: size, speed, route-running skill, and an insatiable work ethic. Getting him would enhance their passing attack to a level Bears fans hadn’t seen in at least a decade. Unfortunately, it was a long wait between #1 and #9. There was a very real possibility Odunze could be gone before Poles had a chance to get him. One team in particular made him the most nervous. He revealed who it was on Waddle & Silvy for ESPN 1000.

Ryan Poles knew he had his guy after New York.

The Giants taking Malik Nabers was interesting. They already had a receiver on their roster, Jalin Hyatt, who fit that speedy field-stretching role. Some argued it would’ve made more sense to pair him with a strong, big-bodied target like Odunze. New York opted for the more explosive option. Once that happened, Poles knew his odds of landing Odunze drastically increased. Everybody knew the Tennessee Titans were almost certain to add offensive line help. They’d already gotten their receiver by signing Calvin Ridley in free agency. As for Atlanta, most people assumed they would go defense. Of course, they shocked the entire league by taking Odunze’s quarterback at Washington, Michael Penix Jr.

Patience had paid off. Ryan Poles got his guy. Odunze would join D.J. Moore and Keenan Allen to forge arguably the most formidable wide receiver trio in Bears history. He already has a budding friendship with Caleb Williams. Former Pro Bowl wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh insists the kid is destined to be a star. The fact Poles took him the 1st round despite coming from a front office that avoided doing so for years, tells you everything you need to know.

The Chicago Bears have settled most of their important business for the 2024 season. Every key player has gotten their contracts squared away. New faces have arrived to upgrade the roster. Among them is six-time Pro Bowler Keenan Allen. The star wide receiver joins D.J. Moore and Rome Odunze to form perhaps the most formidable trio of pass targets the Bears have ever put together. It doesn’t feel like a question of whether they will be productive together. It is more a matter of how long they stay together. GM Ryan Poles faces a dilemma.

Moore is under contract for two more years. Odunze is on a fresh four-year deal. They aren’t going anywhere. Allen is a trickier situation. He is in the last year of his current contract. Without an extension, he will enter the 2025 free agent market. Poles was asked about the issue on Waddle & Silvy for ESPN 1000. The GM didn’t weave around the question. Both sides have agreed that no extension talks will happen before or during the season. The Bears want to see how Allen does this year before engaging in a possible new deal.

Ryan Poles is making the right decision with this approach.

Allen is a terrific player, no question. However, facts are facts. He turns 32 this season, and there is no telling when his effectiveness may dip. Most receivers experience it somewhere around 33 to 35. There is also the fact he has missed 11 combined games over the past two years with various injuries. Handing him a big contract extension, even for two years, without seeing him play actual games would be an unnecessary gamble. If he plays well and stays healthy? The Bears can feel better about giving him his money.

Besides, they no longer have to feel pressure to get this done. Drafting Odunze gave them excellent insurance. If Allen leaves, the Bears would still have the 9th overall pick and Moore as primary targets for Caleb Williams. That money could then go towards other positions of need next off-season. Chicago is open to keeping Allen around beyond this year. He and Williams seem to have a strong connection already. Still, Ryan Poles must be smart about this. There is no reason to jump the gun.