Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Chicago Bears' breakout star is exactly who fans were hoping for in 2025

Originally posted on Chicago Bears on SI | By Bryan Perez | Last updated Oct 8, 2025 12:00 PM ET

The hope for big plays and game-changing touchdowns were as high as they'd ever been for Chicago Bears fans after they welcomed Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze to the squad after the 2024 NFL Draft.

Williams, the first overall pick, and Odunze, the ninth overall pick, were expected to transform the Bears' passing game into a unit that could finally feature a 4,000-yard passer.

And while their rookie seasons were promising, they certainly weren't outstanding. Williams didn't reach the 4,000-yard mark, and Odunze fell short of 800 yards receiving.

But when the Bears hired Ben Johnson as head coach this offseason, hope for a high-flying passing game -- one that featured Odunze -- was restored.

Through four games of the 2025 season, that hope has turned into reality.

In fact, Rome Odunze has emerged as one of the top young wide receivers in the NFL and was recently dubbed the Chicago Bears' biggest breakout player after five weeks.

"Quarterback Caleb Williams has also taken a big step forward in his second season, but it's another sophomore first-round pick who gets the nod here," Bleacher Report's Brad Gagnon wrote. "Odunze has five touchdown grabs in just four games, after scoring just three times as a rookie in 2024."

Odunze has been the biggest beneficiary of Johnson's arrival so far, and it's not particularly close.

After finishing his rookie season with 54 catches for 734 yards and three touchdowns, Odunze has already totaled 20 catches for 296 yards and five scores through four games.

It's a pace that would see him end his sophomore season with 85 catches for 1,258 yards and 21 touchdowns.

I think that more than qualifies as a breakout season.

Rome Odunze is elite pic.twitter.com/5M113IiGDo
— Depressed Bears Fan (@DepBearsFan) September 28, 2025

"He's a pro," Ben Johnson said of Odunze this week. "He comes into the building and he looks to get after work. I think he's taken to that receiver room ... He's just a guy that's committed to winning right now ... I see him as a leader on this team."

There's no doubt Odunze has established himself as the Bears' WR1; he's well ahead of DJ Moore for that role, and I have a sneaky suspicion that Moore's name will be a popular one when the NFL trade deadline rolls around.

The outlook of the Chicago Bears' wide receiver room feels like it's crystalizing around Odunze and rookie Luther Burden III, with Moore potentially becoming a valuable trade asset for a wide receiver-needy team in a few weeks.

This article first appeared on Chicago Bears on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: