Facing fourth-and-1 at the Detroit Lions’ 45-yard line, Chicago Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams threw a pass down the right sideline for fellow rookie Rome Odunze.
Odunze leaped, high-pointed the ball — as he did so often at the University of Washington last season — and came down for a 30-yard gain.
“That was kind of how we designed it, was hoping that we’d get that matchup and were able to take advantage of it,” offensive coordinator Chris Beatty said. “(Odunze) did a great job on his release and was able to stack him and be able to post him up and present a big target for the quarterback, and then did a great job of high-pointing it.”
It was reminiscent of Odunze’s fourth-and-short catch against the Packers. In fact, he’s been a clutch receiver for the Bears, leading the league with 90 receiving yards on fourth down. He’s tied with teammate Keenan Allen for first in the NFL in catches on fourth down (six), and five of those went for first downs. The only one that didn’t was on fourth-and-20.
Caleb to Rome on 4th and 3. Ice cold.
📺: #GBvsCHI on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/uwrkhQzgGV— NFL (@NFL) November 17, 2024
“When he’s had an opportunity to make plays, the guy constantly shows up,” interim head coach Thomas Brown said. “You’re talking about critical moments, fourth-down calls, two-minute drives, winning one-on-one, he’s a separator, has elite twitch, really good ball skills and is a really detailed route runner.”
Before Brown brought up Odunze’s playmaking in the got-to-have-it moments, he described what’s been on most fans’ minds this season when seeing Odunze come down with that fourth-down catch.
“I think Rome has been consistent from day one,” he said. “The ball hasn’t always found him throughout the year as far as his role in … how it plays out from a progression standpoint.”
When you’re talking about a team that has had two play callers, two head coaches, a 10-game losing streak and a passing game that ranks near the bottom of the NFL, that will trickle down to the No. 9 pick in the draft. It hasn’t been what everyone hoped, a slogan that can define the 2024 Bears. But there’s reason to be optimistic about Odunze’s NFL future.
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Odunze’s note-taking ability has caught the eye of everyone in the receivers room. Beatty said Odunze’s notebook looks like “a college kid that’s in (a) business class or something like that.”
One of the things Odunze writes is affirmations. He jots down reminders to himself as he navigates going from the College Football Playoff to last place.
“I try to keep myself to the same standard, writing things down continuously regardless of if things are going well or not going well,” Odunze told The Athletic in a conversation before that Week 16 Lions game. “I’m a rookie and I want to set the foundation for a great career, and I think all those things start right now. This is my first impression in the NFL and a lot of these experiences will stick with me, as well as how I react to them and push through this adversity.”
With one game to go this season, Odunze has 52 catches for 716 yards and three touchdowns. He’s sixth among rookies in targets and receiving yards. He’s fourth in franchise history in receiving yards for a rookie, trailing Willie Gault by 120.
As the No. 3 receiver on a disjointed offense, Odunze’s numbers are both disappointing and understandable. He’s had a few drops and lost a fumble against Detroit, but we’ve also seen the potential. A lot of what Odunze has can’t be taught — the size, the speed — but it’s the studying that he hopes can help set him apart. In training camp, he walked into the media room for a news conference while watching a play on his iPad.
“(Former
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Odunze’s notes include that week’s game plan, which he says can help trigger things in his brain during the game so he remembers elements of what was taught. He also jots down goals, affirmations, what he sees on film and “notes on football in general.”
His first touchdown catch, which came in Week 3 in Indianapolis, was an example Odunze pointed to of his notebook scribbling coming to fruition on the field.
“Just the way that they played it and the landmark I was supposed to watch the ball in, the middle of the end zone, was something that I wrote down,” he said.
Caleb Williams’ AND Rome Odunze’s first career TD!
📺: #CHIvsIND on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/u0ICGLXCz7— NFL (@NFL) September 22, 2024
When Odunze found himself out of the back of the end zone as he caught an almost-touchdown in the preseason, that was surely something that required some notes over the next week. A few months later, he had the awareness to stay inbounds for a touchdown against the 49ers.
“If everybody remembers back in training camp where he stepped out of bounds at the end, we talked a ton about having awareness in the back of the end zone,” Beatty said. “That’s something that we work on quite a bit whether it’s on the sideline or in the back of the end zone, just having awareness to have our feet inbounds … and those things both showed up in that situation.”
The toe tap from @RomeOdunze 🤩 pic.twitter.com/fugR0o0rKF
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) December 8, 2024
When Odunze reflected on his rookie season, the touchdown in Indianapolis stood out as his favorite moment, but he also mentioned an opportunity to see what it looks like when — to use every coach’s favorite saying — all 11 work together: running back D’Andre Swift’s touchdown run against the Packers.
“I was on a blocking play where we all executed the block around the edge for Swift to make the play against Green Bay,” Odunze said. “He shook the corner up. Man, that was team football right there. We all made a good block … and D’Andre was off to the races.”
.@DAndreSwift 39 yards to the house 💨
📺: #GBvsCHI on FOX pic.twitter.com/Rv0MwIVSaa
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) November 17, 2024
Odunze speaks about his rookie season similarly to Williams — frustrating but encouraging. No one could have imagined a losing streak and offensive challenges like this for two players who excelled at every other level.
“We’ve talked about the future,” Odunze said. “It’s something that kind of goes unspoken, as well. When things aren’t going well, you recognize those things and you act accordingly in a way that will prepare you for the future and propel you to newer heights when those opportunities come.”
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Williams watched Odunze catch 50-50 balls in the Pac-12 and he can trust him to do the same in the NFL. The quarterback knows he and his receiver are supposed to be linked here for the long haul.
“It’s been great to be able to have a young guy with me like Rome, spectacular person, spectacular player,” Williams said. “I’ve seen it now for two years. Being able to have him here and grow with him, our relationship over the years is going to be vital for the team.”
There will be a ton of attention during the spring and summer of 2025 on Williams and Odunze and the types of Year 2 jumps they could be in for with a new coach and a new scheme. The two of them have endured a lot as rookies but still find a way to spin things positively, even with everything they’ve seen.
“It’s my mindset,” Odunze said. “It goes back to my parents. … I like to keep a positive mindset because I don’t really see where thinking negatively can propel you to anything better. Being frustrated and understanding you need to change things up is a lot different than being down in the dumps and not thinking there’s light at the end of the tunnel. It’s a balance of being frustrated but using that frustration to fuel you to do something about it.”
(Photo: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
