A disappointing rookie season for Rome Odunze was easily explained, as the Chicago Bears had three offensive coordinators and he was behind two established wide receivers in the pecking order for targets.
Heading into Year 2, things were aligning nicely for Odunze. A capable play caller, growth from quarterback Caleb Williams, and virtually automatic correction in every area had the arrow pointing way up.
Odunze scored a touchdown in Week 1, then in Week 2 he fully asserted himself as the Bears' No. 1 wide receiver with a big game against the Detroit Lions (seven catches for 128 yards and two touchdowns).
In Week 3, Odunze scored his fourth touchdown of the season against the Dallas Cowboys. It's still comical to watch the feeble jam attempt from Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs on the touchdown play. Odunze easily fought it off and ran wide open down the sideline.
Rome Odunze has quickly taken his place among the best WR in the NFL
Odunze has shown his full skillset in a way that just wasn't possible during his rookie season., winning at all three levels of the field rather than be pigeonholed as a downfield threat the way he was last year. Pro Football Focus has actually credited him with two drops so far, so his results could even be a little better than they've been.
In PFF's wide receiver rankings for Week 4, Odunze comes in at No. 10.
"Odunze caught three passes for 62 yards against the Cowboys, all gains of 10-plus yards and first downs. His longest catch of the day was a 35-yard touchdown where he was left all alone after Trevon Diggs fell on the route."
"The second-year wideout leads the Bears' receivers in targets (25), catches (16) and receiving yards (227) entering Week 4. He now has four touchdown catches, 12 first downs, six explosive gains and four receptions of 20-plus yards. Seventeen of his targets have come outside the numbers (tied for third most), and he is one of three receivers with a 90.0-plus PFF receiving grade (90.1) from that area of the field."
Odunze's four touchdowns through three games have been an even mix of close red zone (one and six yards out) and 20-plus yard plays (28 and 35 yards out). As noted, 12 of his 16 catches have moved the chains. According to PFF, as was actually the case for the entirety of last season, he has lined in the slot for nearly one-third of his snaps through three games (60 out of 184), and it may only be a matter of time before Ben Johnson finds a way to unveil him as a "big slot" receiver fully.
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Odunze was set to make a notable leap into a much higher category of his peers this season. It only took him three weeks to get it done, and he's probably not done ascending.