Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze is poised for a breakout 2025 season under first-year head coach Ben Johnson, but his emergence could come at the expense of his fellow pass-catchers — if he emerges for the Bears at all.
Odunze, the ninth overall pick in 2024, is heading into his second season with the Bears in a much better situation than he faced as a rookie. Not only will he have an offensive-minded head coach in Johnson, but he will also have a more experienced quarterback leading the offense with 2024 No. 1 pick Caleb Williams entering Year 2 as a starter.
With Odunze’s improved circumstances in mind, CBS Sports analyst Chris Trapasso dubbed him one of the top second-year NFL breakout candidates, predicting Odunze will cut through the Bears’ significant pass-catching depth and “take targets away” from the other receivers on the roster during the 2025 season.
“Sure, you can suggest with Colston Loveland, Luther Burden III and, of course, D.J. Moore and Cole Kmet, there simply won’t be enough targets for Odunze to emerge in Year 2,” Trapasso wrote.
“Fair argument. I do believe Odunze will be productive enough early to take targets away from his fellow receiver teammates. He has a soccer net-sized catch radius and is a smooth athlete for his size. Odunze is going to rock the back-shoulder game with Williams in 2025.
Rome Odunze Showed Promise as Rookie for Bears
High expectations will chase Odunze into his second season in the NFL as a former top-10 pick, but the Bears should feel encouraged about the promise he showed as a rookie.
Odunze caught 54 passes for 734 yards and three touchdowns in 17 games (12 starts) for the Bears in 2024 despite working as the third option behind Moore and Keenan Allen. He also touted an impressive 73% contested catch rate that shone even more brightly in light of the Bears’ dysfunctional offense and Williams’ accuracy issues as a rookie.
Now, Odunze is preparing to take on a larger role in the offense with Allen no longer in the picture. He projects to start opposite Moore as the Bears’ No. 2 wide receiver and could receive a rather large share of the targets if Johnson plans to use him similarly to how he used Amon-Ra St. Brown as Detroit’s offensive play-caller in recent years.
Odunze must still take it upon himself to know the ins and outs of the new playbook and make sure he stays on the details of Johnson’s offense. If he can take the next step in his development and further his already-impressive skill set, he should demand quite a bit of attention from Williams in 2025 — potentially even riding it to a breakout year.
Rome Odunze’s Success Linked to Caleb Williams’ Growth
Odunze is a practical prediction for second-year breakout players. In his case, though, his success is tied to that of another second-year player: Quarterback Caleb Williams.
Whatever expectations there are for Odunze in 2025, you would need to double them — at least — to bring them up to the level of expectations for Williams. The Bears devoted the grand majority of their offseason moves to building a better support system for their former top draft pick, from hiring an imaginative offensive leader as their new head coach to rebuilding the interior of their offensive line with three new veteran starters.
Now, they need Williams to more confidently show that he can become their long-term answer at quarterback. That means working to improve the shortcomings in his game and absorbing every minute detail of his new offense. His accuracy and deep-ball touch must improve. So, too, must his pocket presence and command in the huddle.
The Bears believe Williams can do it, especially with Johnson as his new QB whisperer. If he falls short of expectations, though, it could wind up sabotaging Odunze’s breakout.
Bears Rising Star Predicted to ‘Take Targets Away’ From Fellow WRs