After a blazing start to his second NFL season, a lingering foot injury brought a notable downturn for Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze. He eventually missed the final five regular season games, and he was clearly not himself in two playoff games.
Odunze has undeniably underachieved over his first two seasons since being drafted ninth overall in 2024. Some of that is not his fault, with Caleb Williams struggling to be consistently accurate, but last season in particular, there was a good bit of "he should have caught that," whether he was necessarily credited with a drop or not.
Odunze's five drops were the second-most on the Bears last season (according to Pro Football Focus, including the playoffs). A more troubling development was his proficiency in contested catch situations, which at 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds should be an area he excels in. Instead, according to Pro Football Focus, he had just seven catches on 20 contested catch opportunities last year.
That's another area where the stress fracture in his foot seemed to clearly limit Odunze. During his rookie season, he was 13-for-18 in contested catch situations. During his final season at the University of Washington in 2023, according to ESPN, he had a tied for FBS-high 24 contested catches.
Having two healthy feet should make all the difference for Odunze this season, and it's a critical campaign for him as he approaches being eligible for a contract extension.
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During a recent appearance on "4th and 1 with Cam Newton", Odunze was asked which players he's studying to model his game after.
"I looked up to guys like Davante Adams, Julio Jones, I was even watching some Puka (Nacua) film from last year, especially at the catch point,” Odunze said. “I want to be better at the catch point this year when it comes to contested catches, catching in stride, and all of those different things. Making the quarterback look good when I need to… When it might be a go-make-a-play play, I want to make that play. I watch film on all of those guys and continue to study that and I’ll display that this season, for sure.”
Adams and Nacua are great receivers to study in any capacity. But paired with size very close to his, the physical, "the ball is mine" mentality Jones played with is something Odunze should especially be looking to replicate. No other Bears wide receiver is equipped to bring that kind of thing to the table.
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It's fair to assume Odunze is not only studying Jones, Adams, and Nacua in his effort to find ways to get better. But those three names are as good as it gets for a receiver of his ilk to model their game after.
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