Wide receiver Rome Odunze and quarterback Caleb Williams entered the NFL at the same time, both getting selected in the top 10 of the 2024 draft by the Chicago Bears.
Williams, of course, was the top overall pick, while Odunze was taken at No. 9. Expectations were high for both, but season-long upheaval amongst the coaching staff resulted in a rollercoaster ride for each of them.
ESPN’s Ben Solak examined the “big questions” currently surrounding the leagues top WRs heading into Year 2, and with Odunze specifically, he highlighted a concerning lack of on-field chemistry with QB1.
“The Bears’ No. 9 overall pick was often being thrown an uncatchable ball. According to ESPN’s charting, Odunze saw 37 targets that were overthrown or underthrown, which led all receivers by a lot,” Solak wrote. “Now, inaccurate balls can be as much a receiver’s fault as they are the quarterback’s, but it’s no great secret that rookie QB Caleb Williams was missing all of his receivers last season. DJ Moore was third in the league with 27 inaccurate targets, and Keenan Allen was 10th with 24.”
ESPN’s Ben Solak ‘More Than a Little Worried’ About Chemistry Between QB Caleb Williams & WR Rome Odunze
GettyChicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze and quarterback Caleb Williams.
Odunze’s talent was on display early, as he had his first 100-yard game Week 3 against the Indianapolis Colts. He had six catches for 112 yards in that game, which included a career-high 47-yard reception and a 1-yard TD grab that marked both his and Williams’ first career scores.
By season’s end, he hauled in 54 passes for 734 yards and 3 scores over 17 games, averaging 13.6 yards per catch. He also had 15 rushing yards on three carries and had two fumbles, one of which he lost.
“Though I am more than a little worried about the severe lack of chemistry between Williams and Odunze, I am willing to give Odunze a lot of grace for suffering through a carousel of offensive coaches on a team rife with execution errors. Veterans Moore and Allen also could not get on the same page with Williams,” Solak added.
Few teams in the league were as chaotic as the Bears were in 2024.
Chicago fired offensive coordinator Shane Waldron amid a three-game losing streak and mounting criticism over his playcalling and the his inability to get the best out of Williams in particular. Less than a month later, head coach Matt Eberflus was let go and Thomas Brown — who had served as OC in Waldron’s absence — was promoted to take Eberflus’s place.
Thus, it’s fair to say judging the chemistry between Williams and Odunze after one particularly disastrous 5-12 season may not be the most fair thing.
Let’s Wait Until the 2025 Season Is Over to Form an Opinion
To be fair, Solak did acknowledge that many of the passes targeted at Odunze weren’t catchable to begin with.
“Odunze saw the most misses for Chicago because he made the most rookie mistakes, often miscommunicating with Williams on route adjustments and timing,” Solak noted. “He was also used on the most challenging throws — downfield, namely. Odunze was sixth in the league last season in unrealized air yards. That’s air yards the player got via target but failed to convert into receiving yards for whatever reason. In this case, it was mainly because of uncatchable footballs.”
While much of this falls on the shoulders of Williams, there’s room for hope in the form of an innovative new coaching staff led by head coach Ben Johnson. Both Odunze and his QB will have a new playbook, and Williams also has something crucial he didn’t have last year: a solid offensive line. That alone should make a load of difference for both players.
It’s fair to have doubts about both players after the rookie season each had in 2024, but both Williams and Odunze have another offseason to work on their chemistry. Let’s withhold judgment on things until they have another full season under their belts.
