The Chicago Bears have taken the right approach with Rome Odunze. They have eased him into a bigger role, and though they didn't spoon-feed him and trusted him right out of the gate, they've had proven veterans by his side just in case.
Now, after two years of learning from the likes of Keenan Allen and DJ Moore, and after establishing himself as Caleb Williams' primary pass catcher, he's finally ready to run the show. With Moore gone, he's the strongest candidate to be the Bears' WR1.
The Washington product has already shown glimpses of strong play in his first two years. In a sitdown with ESPN insider Courtney Cronin, he had two words to summarize how he feels about the prospect of being the alpha dog.
Rome Odunze is 'ready and confident' to be the Bears' WR1
"Oh, I'm ready for it," Odunze said. "I'm 100% confident in it."
That's what the fans want to hear from their young star, and he's shown he means it. Odunze plays with a physicality and violence that's not common for wide receivers, and he's the type of mean-mugging guy who'll just man-handle his opposition in contested-catch situations.
There are some concerns about his foot injury, but he's shut down that noise and claimed that it shouldn't be an issue going forward. And if he can stay healthy, it wouldn't be much of a surprise to see an All-Pro-caliber campaign in 2026.
Caleb Williams still has to work on his accuracy issues. That's the only thing that might hold back Ben Johnson's eclectic and explosive passing attack in his second year in charge of the team. Even if that's the case, they just have too much talent.
Opposing defenses will have to pick their poison when going against the Bears. Double-teaming Odunze means leaving Luther Burden III wide open, and Colston Loveland is also a perennial mismatch on the open field.
Everybody should feast in the Bears' well-balanced and stacked offense. And with a defensive line that was mostly ignored this offseason, they might have to outscore most of their opposition and star in multiple shootouts.
Odunze was one of the most promising prospects in the NFL Draft three years ago. With such a high bar, some might be disappointed to see that he wasn't the clear-cut alpha from day one. Now, there's absolutely no doubt of who'll be Caleb Williams' go-to-guy, and he's more than up for the task.
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