A lot has been made about Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze going into his third season in the NFL.
Last year, he dealt with a foot injury that sidelined him for five games, but he still battled through it for two postseason games. Now that he's 100% healthy, there's buzz that he will step up and play well as the new WR1 in 2026. At least his head coach, Ben Johnson, has high expectations for Odunze just purely based on the character of the person he is.
"He's a team player," Johnson said via 104.3 The Score's Chris Emma. "He's going to lay it out on the line every time he gets on the grass. I think his teammates appreciate that; his coaching staff certainly appreciates that. Hopefully, we can get him 17-plus games this year, and his career will really take off for that."
Ben Johnson had high praise for Rome Odunze going into 2026
If it weren't for the injury from last year, Odunze was actually pacing to potentially have his first career 1,000-yard season. Instead, he caught 44 passes for 661 yards and six touchdowns in 12 games.
Odunze admitted to the media that he is adjusting to life now that his foot has fully healed and that he is making progress. All indications at OTAs so far are that he is looking good and could be in for a big year.
The Bears are going to need him to step up in a big way, as the expectations in 2026 have changed with a wide receiver room that has changed. DJ Moore got traded to the Buffalo Bills earlier in the offseason, opening the door for Odunze to take that WR1 role.
Odunze might have some competition as Luther Burden III is getting even more buzz going into his second NFL season. Burden has been showing off the speed and skills to the point that Johnson has admitted to being bought into the hype.
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There are a lot of Bears who view 2026 as a big year, but Odunze has a different kind of pressure with a fifth-year option on the line for his contract, with the first goal being to prove to Johnson and the Bears organization that they were right to select him in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
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