The Chicago Bears had high hopes for Rome Odunze coming out of Washington. His big and strong frame makes him a prototypical ball-winner at the next level, and he's shown flashes of greatness in his young career.
However, sometimes, players aren't in the best situation for them, at least to put up big numbers. That's not only the case with Odunze but with every player in Ben Johnson's offense, as they've come to learn this season.
That's why, as talented as Odunze is, and as much as he'd be the undisputed WR1 for multiple teams, he's just another piece in the Windy City. Considering that, fans talking about him breaking out of his slump should probably take it easy.
Rome Odunze won't be the Chicago Bears' featured guy
Odunze wasn't heavily involved in the passing game with Caleb Williams or Case Keenum, but he seemed to be on the same page with Tyson Bagent. Despite his up-and-down performance, the quarterback still connected with him six times on seven targets for a season-high 94 yards.
Through four games, he's up to just 14 catches on 20 targets for 233 yards and no scores, averaging a pedestrian 58.3 receiving yards per game. Notably, it's not on him, as he's only dropped one pass, has created separation, and has been on the field early and often. It's just a part of the drill.
The Bears have kept defenses guessing. Kalif Raymond has had some big games, Colston Loveland has been getting more involved, and the running backs have also been taking turns going absolutely nuts out of the backfield.
Ben Johnson doesn't seem to believe in featured guys. He just sees a bunch of chess pieces, puppets to move at will to create mismatches and stay ahead of the sticks, regardless of the name on the back of the jersey.
Fortunately, it looks like everyone has bought into that philosophy. 'No block, no rock,' Johnson preaches, having every single one of his guys take one for the team, put their bodies on the line, and open up lanes for whoever happens to get the football that one time.
Ironically, this might also help Odunze in the long run. His fantasy football managers may not agree, but with all the concerns about his chronic foot issues and whatnot, having the Bears spread the wealth might actually help prolong his career.
Of course, this doesn't mean to get his fans bummed out, or that he won't have another big game at any point this season, maybe even as early as next week. On the contrary, this is just an opportunity to give Ben Johnson and the Bears' front office credit for the offensive behemoth they've orchestrated.
The Bears have at least three guys who would be the undisputed alpha for most teams. That's a blessing of a problem to have, and as long as anyone complains about their role, it might not even be a real problem.
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