The Chicago Bears took Caleb Williams #1 overall in April. That has been the story everybody has been focused on for the past two months, which is no surprise. Quarterbacks always get the headlines. People know the Bears’ story at that position and how they’ve waited years for a genuine franchise star. However, that move has made it easy to overlook the other 1st round pick they made barely an hour later in the same draft. Under normal circumstances, the Bears taking Rome Odunze would be the talk of the off-season.
That is the argument Jason Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times makes. Though a consistent critic of the Bears’ efforts over the past few years, he admitted a level of intrigue over Odunze’s arrival. He believes that if he hadn’t walked into a locker room that already had D.J. Moore and Keenan Allen, there is a plausible scenario where Odunze puts together a stellar rookie season in the same category of a Justin Jefferson or Ja’Marr Chase. He is that talented. Lieser broke this down on the Under Center podcast.
Rome Odunze also faces a rough franchise history.
People talk about the quarterbacks. They don’t often mention how ugly the Bears’ track record at wide receiver is, especially regarding the draft. In the Super Bowl era, excluding Odunze, Chicago has taken five receivers in the 1st round. All five failed to crack 5,000 yards receiving during their time with the organization. The top two names in career receiving for the Bears, Johnny Morris and Harlon Hill, both retired in the 1960s. Kevin White was a bust. David Terrell was a bust. Both were top 10 picks.
That is the track record Rome Odunze hopes to fix. He said he wants to leave the Bears organization in a better place than what he found it. A good way to do that is by showing everybody he can be a consistently productive presence over the long term. Every promising receiver they’ve drafted in the past 40 years left within seven seasons of their arrival. Curtis Conway did it. Marty Booker was traded. Marcus Robinson never fully recovered from a knee injury. Alshon Jeffery left in free agency.
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Odunze has a chance to redirect the organization’s path.
Rome Odunze is extremely likeable. He is going to be a bona fide top WR. I don’t doubt it. But he hasn’t played one snap in the NFL. He’s a rookie. Most rookie WR’s have growing pains. Many take 3 years to fully develop. If Rome is fully dominant in 1.5 years it fits the bill of everything we know so far. But that still means next year after he gets warmed up. I’m not saying we won’t see flashes. There will be some proud moments this year. But with DJ and KA it’s much more likely we see a… Read more »
At the Pyramid platform, Dua Lipa and Michael Kiwanuka were very good today. Sorry Erik and Dave, still do not care for Cyndi Lauper. Rome Odunze, who would you prefer? Are you in one of the luxury suites? I am stuck with Cold Play later this evening, @PoochPest. What about WRs 4, 5, & 6?
Any organization, and the Bears included, have to know and understand how to work with employees. They rarely have any certainly, except for Lovie Smith, Bears players only played because they were getting paid. Lovie could only address the defensive side. The most talented quarterback they ever got, maybe prior to Fields and Williams, they fed a series of lousy, incompetent offensive coordinators and head coaches. (Does anyone KNOW what the job of head coach OR coordinator is? Certainly, when Lambert writes articles like this, he doesn’t.) But they’ve left, rarely better than they came. Certainly, none left with any… Read more »
Alston was a big puss. Would sit out over the smallest ding…same thing happened after his first year in Philly. Dude had no drive to be great. Only to get paid. Rome has a completely different mindset. You can tell in listening to him talk. Dude will be a worker more than a talker. He wants to be great. Guys that work hard towards their goals succeed more often than not.
I was watching “A football life” on the NFL channel last night and they were showing Larry Fitzgerald. All I could think about is that Rome is just like that dude! Smart, tall, fast, catches everything thrown his way, coachable and very motivated to be a star. I think we all know that Keenan is gone after one year, but having DJ and Rome for the next 4/5 years is going to be amazing!! Bear Down boys.