The Chicago Bears have a wide range of lofty expectations for the upcoming 2024 season and the players in the locker room are starting to buy into it as well.
As we all know by now, the Bears wide receiver trio of DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, and rookie Rome Odunze have a friendly competition between each other in 2024.
“We all eat,” Moore said while appearing on the "Up and Adams Show". “I feel like it’s going to be a race to a 1,000 (yards) between the receivers in the room. So it should be amazing.”
While it'll be exciting to see this race play out throughout the season, seeing three different wide receivers reach that milestone would be an incredible feat. Allen, the team's oldest play-maker, sees it as more of a two person race with him and Moore.
"Yeah, I mean, obviously we both want to be successful. We both want the ball. We're both playmakers," Allen explained. "So, it's gonna be a race."
However, Odunze absolutely has the skillset and mindset to chase that number as well and has been building up his connection with quarterback Caleb Williams.
"Absolutely, I think that's exactly what it is, it's a very competitive environment," Odunze said. "I think for me, for myself I think what I want in a wide receiver room is for everybody to think they're wide receiver one. That's the mind set that I bring into the room and it's a friendly competition."
Odunze even took it a step further with his lofty expectations for his debut season and has his eyes set on the rookie receiving yard record set by Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua last season.
“I think that’s important for every player to set those goals and strive for the highest of the highs,” Odunze said on the Bears’ YouTube account. “It’s unique in my situation because I went to school with Puka Nacua, so I was following him and got to see what he did, so, absolutely, I’m chasing that. I think he’s right around 1,500, right? For that rookie season record. Absolutely chasing that.”
Last season, all three players easily crossed the 1,000 yard mark with Moore posting 1,364 yards, Allen posting 1,243 yards and Odunze leading the nation with 1,640 yards (Odunze of course did so in college), but can they all do it now that they are on the same team?
The Bears are expecting to be a pass-oriented offense under offensive coordinator Shane Waldron and their new rookie quarterback certainly has the arm to handle the amount of pass attempts needed to make it happen. But, how often has this feat actually occurred in the NFL.
The last time three wide receivers reached 1,000 yards on the same team in the same season was in 2008 when Larry Fitzgerald (1,431), Anquan Boldin (1,038), and Steve Breaston (1,006) all crossed the mark with the Arizona Cardinals.
Before those three, this rare feat had only been accomplished two other times with specifically three wide receivers reaching 1,000 yards (Washington in 1989 and Indianapolis in 2004). In two of those occurrences, the quarterbacks throwing the ball were future Hall of Famers. The other was Mark Rypien who was in his second season.
Not only would it be an incredible feat for the three wide receivers, but it would be unbelievable for Williams as well. To put it in context, if each of the three wide receivers reach 1,000 yards, Williams will already pass for over 3,000 yards. The Bears rookie passing yard record is 2,193 yards set by Mitch Trubisky in 2017.
As for who would get there first out of the three, Moore might have the edge over the two based on his average depth of target and after the catch ability. However, it only took Allen 10 games to reach 1,000 yards in 2023 while it took Moore 12 games and Odunze 10 games (in college) to get there. Allen historically has received a high target share in the past which could help get him there first, and who knows how Odunze could look at the next level as a weapon in this offense.
Either way, it's going to be an exciting race as the three look to join an exclusive list in NFL history.
