Rome Odunze Says He Can Play 'Freely' in 2nd Season with Bears, Caleb Williams

Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze feels the experience he gained as a rookie will serve him nicely in his sophomore campaign in the NFL.

"It's a different game than college football," he said to The Athletic's Jayna Bardahl. "There are different windows, different ways to get open, and there's a different pace that you have to get adapted to. Having a full season under my belt, I feel like I'm aware of those things.

"I can now play the game freely in a way that I know where I need to be when I need to be there."

Odunze, whom the Bears selected with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2024 draft, didn't have a noteworthy rookie season. He caught 54 passes for 734 yards and three touchdowns in 17 appearances.

Granted, it's not uncommon for a first-year pass-catcher to struggle a bit out of the gate. Odunze wasn't alone from last year's draft class in falling short of expectations. The Arizona Cardinals' Marvin Harrison Jr., Bufffalo Bills' Keon Coleman, Kansas City Chiefs' Xavier Worthy and Carolina Panthers' Xavier Legette all failed to eclipse 1,000 receiving yards.

In Odunze's case, having a fellow rookie at quarterback and a leaky offensive line did him few favors. Caleb Williams was sacked an NFL-high 68 times, so he didn't have a ton of time in the pocket to find open targets. His 62.5 percent completion rate also testifies to the adjustment he faced against pro secondaries.

The Bears bolstered their line this offseason by adding Joe Thuney, Drew Dalman and Jonah Jackson, and they selected wideout Luther Burden III and tight end Colston Loveland in the 2025 draft to improve their aerial attack.

Hiring head coach Ben Johnson was clearly a move with the offense in mind as well.

"I think Ben and crew have great offensive minds," Odunze told Bardahl. "I feel like they can help put me in positions to succeed, and that’s all I can ask for."

The stage is certainly set for the former Washington standout to take a big leap forward in Year 2.