ODUNZE IN ROUTE PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME
ROOKIE WIDE RECEIVER REALIZES HE’S IN A GOOD SITUATION WITH WILLIAMS, MOORE, ALLEN
Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze stumbled at the start of his route Friday in a seven-on-seven drill at rookieminicamp practice, quickly forcing quarterback Caleb Williams to improvise. Williams darted to his left, bought himself some time and found an open receiver near the left sideline for a solid gain of 15 to 20 yards.
The receiver? Rome Odunze.
The Bears are a long way from knowing whether Williams-to-Odunze will be a thing. But it was at least an early indication that Odunze, like Williams, knows how to turn a botched play into a productive one. Odunze was in the right place in part because he put himself there. And he has a quarterback who rewarded him for that.
“It’s hard to imagine a better situation,” the 6-3, 215-pound Odunze said. “Coming in with a rookie quarterback allows us to grow together and learn this offense together. When he’s studying, I’m right there next to him, studying his mindset on different routes and different concepts and learning his perspective on the whole offense.
“It’s a great way for me to learn because I like to learn the whole concept and then, ‘OK, let me detail it up and understand what I need to do within any specific scheme or concept.’ To be alongside him, it’s a blessing.”
Odunze has plenty of self-confidence but also a healthy appreciation for being in the right place at the right time. He was an underachieving four-star recruit in his first two seasons at Washington and in limbo after coach Jimmy Lake was fired after 10 games in 2021.
But the Huskies hired Kalen DeBoer, which led to Michael Penix Jr. — a former quarterback for DeBoer at Indiana — to transfer to Washington, and Odunze’s career blossomed.
After having 47 receptions for 487 yards and four touchdowns in his first two seasons at Washington, Odunze had back-to-back prolific seasons with Penix — 75 receptions for 1,145 yards and seven touchdowns in 2022 and 92 receptions for 1,640 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2023.
Now he’s with the Bears and — as unlikely as it sounds — seemingly in the right place at the right time, with Williams at quarterback and two established receivers in DJ Moore and Keenan Allen.
Playing with a rookie quarterback isn’t usually a recipe for success in the NFL. But together, Williams and Odunze can make it easier for each other. As good as Penix is, Williams is rated the better NFL prospect.
“It’s really effortless for him,” Odunze said. “He could do a lot of things that older quarterbacks may think is hard. He continues to improve every time I see [him], and he’s very smooth.
“He could throw the ball from any angle, body position, anywhere on the field to any spot on the field. So you always have to be ready anytime he’s in the backfield. It gives you confidence that he’s going to put it on you when you’re giving him your best on the route.”
Odunze still has to adjust to the NFL game and prove he can beat NFL-caliber cornerbacks. But that has been a workable transition for talented receivers (though usually receivers with good quarterbacks in good offenses), in part because NFL cornerbacks in general are not allowed to defend as physically as college cornerbacks.
“It’s definitely different,” Odunze said. “I think in college they maybe allow a little bit more physicality at points, but I think maybe the technique in the NFL is a little bit better. So it’s a trade, but I think it’s something that I’ll have to see. I remember watching some NFL film and being like, ‘Man, they can’t even touch these guys.’ So hopefully that’s how it is when I’m out there.”