While there weren't many good performances in the Chicago Bears' 31-7 Week 5 blowout loss to the Green Bay Packers, the Bears would have liked to see more from wide receiver Rome Odunze.
Odunze finished the game with nine targets, completing only three for 40 yards, including a 20-yard completion. Granted, many of those throws were not 100% catchable,s thrown by Tyson Bagent and Case Keenum. In fact, 44% of Odunze's targets were considered uncatchable.
In that regard, Odunze gets a small pass, but this game is another reminder of something that's been brewing all season. The question of whether Odunze should be considered a WR1 has to start being asked after five games.
There are legit concerns about Rome Odunze being Bears' long-term WR1
So far this season, Odunze has been targeted 29 times, catching 17 of them for 273 yards. He has no touchdown catches and has one drop this year.
The reality is that Odunze hasn't done enough to avoid being the team's top target. He had a bad drop in the end zone in Week 3 against the Philadelphia Eagles that could have made that blowout win even bigger, but it instead led to the Bears getting no red-zone points.
Not everything has gone in Odunze's favor since he's faced three quarterbacks, but that hasn't stopped him from having at least one great game. In the 23-12 win over the New York Jets in Week 4, he had a season-high 94 yards, and Bagent was his quarterback.
This season, Odunze has had only one game where he has gone over 55 receiving yards in a game. For a guy that is supposed to be the number one receiver, that is not great.
Pro Football Focus agrees that Odunze is not playing like a WR1, giving him an overall grade of 63.8, ranking 57th out of 86 eligible receivers. He also has a receiving grade of 67.4, ranking 49th.
The reality is that Odunze is a nice target and can be a good receiver in the NFL. Chicago drafted him to be the number one receiver, though.
He has gone the first two seasons without a 1,000-yard year, and last year was mostly due to his foot injury. Still, the Bears need to get more production from their top guy if they want to be a Super Bowl-caliber team.
The hope is that Caleb Williams is back from his hamstring injury this season and can rebuild that chemistry with Odunze. This could be the third-year receiver's chance to step up and be the playmaker this Bears offense needs.
When Odunze is one-on-one, he can be a great receiver and win those contested battles. The Bears' Week 1 win over the Carolina Panthers showed Odunze Mossing a defender to make a great 49-yard catch. He needs to do it at a more consistent basis, though, which isn't happening.
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Maybe Week 6 against the Atlanta Falcons will change the narrative on Odunze, but not enough is being shown that he be a true WR1 on the Bears at the moment.
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