Tag: 2024 NFL Draft Rome Odunze

Rome Odunze can help Caleb Williams break Bears’ 75-year quarterback curse

The Bears are hoping to break their 75-year quarterback curse with Caleb Williams. Here’s how rookie receiver Rome Odunze will help.

We all know that the Chicago Bears haven’t had a true franchise quarterback since Sid Luckman, and since Luckman played his last NFL snap in 1950, that’s a REALLY long time to go without a defining player at the game’s most important position.

2024 first-overall pick Caleb Williams is the most recent guy set to break that 75-year quarterback curse, and the Bears have at least given him some weapons to work with. There’s receiver DJ Moore from the 2023 Carolina Panthers trade, whose 96 catches on 132 targets for 1,346 yards and eight touchdowns marked one of the best seasons for a Bears receiver in NFL history. There’s veteran receiver Keenan Allen, who still has some pep in his step and as much savvy at the position as you could ever want to help a young quarterback. Tight end Cole Kmet brings a lot to the table in terms of production.

And with the ninth overall pick in the 2024 draft, the Bears took Washington receiver Rome Odunze — who isn’t here just to round that group out. It’s cleat that the Bears see Odunze as a potential force multiplier, and the tape backs it up. Last season for the Huskies, Odunze caught 92 passes on 140 targets for 1,639 yards and 13 touchdowns. Everybody knew that Odunze was The Guy in Ryan Grubbs’ vertical offense (Michael Penix Jr. had an astonishing 117 passing attempts of 20 or more air yards in 2023, 20 more than anybody else in the NCAA), and Odunze was able to make the most of his season regardless. Odunze had the NCAA’s most deep targets (49), the most deep receptions (23), and the most deep receiving yards (783). Not bad for a prospect who some debited for a lack of explosive downfield speed.

In truth, it’s Odunze’s overall skill set that allows him to win, as opposed to one prominent attribute.

Today’s NFL requires receivers to beat press and tight match coverage, and Odunze has all the tools to do just that. At 6′ 2⅞” and 212 pounds, Odunze combines a slot receiver’s attention to detail in his routes with a big man’s ability to win in the paint.

And when it comes to making catches in dangerous situations — especially over the middle — Odunze has already proven that he relishes such scenarios.

Odunze’s new coaches are already impressed.

“He’s able to pick up an offense right away — really understand all three of the receiver spots right away, so he’s not sitting there locked into one thing,” offensive coordinator Shane Waldron said of Odunze in June. “He’s really picking this offense up as a conceptual learner, which I think only helps him down the road in the regular season when you start moving guys around.”

Head coach Matt Eberflus was equally excited to see what Odunze can do. Eberflus recently talked with the rookie about how Odunze processes film and analyzes his own game, and that meant a lot to the guy in charge.

“I think that was really mature on his part to be able to actually discern and understand how he learns best,” Eberflus said. “The part about being a good learner is knowing how you learn best. I think he knows himself really well. Very mature for his age. He’s a wonderful teammate and he’s going to be exciting to watch.”

The Bears could certainly get used to it if Rome Odunze is able to realize his full NFL potential sooner than later — and in so doing, helps his team break that darned quarterback curse.

WATCH: WR Rome Odunze gets the draft call from the Bears

The Bears made the call to Rome Odunze and they couldn’t be happier about landing the stud wide receiver.

The Chicago Bears knew they were going to be making a call to quarterback Caleb Williams during the 2024 NFL Draft. They weren’t as certain they would be doing the same to wide receiver Rome Odunze, but everyone seemed excited that they were able to make it happen.

Chicago made Odunze their choice at No. 9 overall, pairing him with Williams to give the offense two new cornerstones as they enter a new era of football. When the call was made to Odunze, general manager Ryan Poles, head coach Matt Eberflus, and team president Kevin Warren all spoke to their newest player.

Poles kicked things off with a simple question: “You ready to roll?” he asked Odunze. “Oh yeah, let’s do it,” Odunze said. Poles says it’s going to be fun, and it’s hard to disagree with him.

When the phone got passed to Eberflus, he still seemed shocked that the Bears were able to land Odunze. “Can you believe this, man?” he said with a smile. “I could not believe that it worked out exactly like we said it would.” Eberflus mentioned how difficult it’s going to be for opposing defenses to stop him, DJ Moore, and Keenan Allen at the receiver position. “The trio of us? Oh, we’re going to make it happen now,” Odunze said.

Eberflus confirmed what Poles had said during Thursday night’s press conference: This was the plan all along. The Bears had a vision of pairing Williams and Odunze, and the plan worked to perfection. It wasn’t a surprise twist or a smokescreen. They wanted the top quarterback and one of the top wide receivers, something this organization hasn’t prioritized throughout its history.

Odunze is clearly excited to work with Williams and the other veteran wide receivers. This phone call is hopefully just the beginning of a long and prosperous career in Chicago.