Rome Odunze has not quite ascended to being the eighth-best player on the Chicago Bears yet, but if the team wants to go where they plan to be going this season, they are going to need Odunze to look like it. That is why he checks in at number eight.
Ranking most important Chicago Bears in 2025: Number 8 Rome Odunze
Odunze had a fine rookie season. It was just good enough that you cannot say he is going to be a bust. It is just questionable enough that you do not trust him to be a breakout star this year. That is why this is such a big season.
Odunze was a former top ten pick, so the expectations are sky high entering year two. More than that, the offense around him is no longer an excuse. His quaretrback was a rookie, the play caller was not helping and the offensive line had issues throughout the season. When you add in that he was up and down, there is a reasn to temper expectations.
None of that is the case this season.
The play caller is expected to be a rock star, the quarterback needs to take a step forward and they went out of their way to improve the offensive line this offseason. The only thing they need is Odunze to take that step. If he does not, Luther Burden was just drafted and is waiting to take over the room.
That is what makes his season so massive. If he has a big year, DJ Moore is aging and the room may eventually be Odunze’s. In a strong offense with a breakout quarterback, he could become a star.
At the same time, with Moore in the mix, and not only Burden but Colston Loveland added, if Odunze does not hit the ground running, the team does not have time for him. They will push one of the lower players up, and this coaching staff drafted them, making it tougher for Odunze to make back the ground.
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The Bears cannot see their top ten pick be a miss so early into his career, so his impact has to be important.