How Bears' Rome Odunze remained positive after disappointing rookie season

After a somewhat disappointing rookie season, second-year wide receiver Rome Odunze has become a key reason why the Chicago Bears are 4-2 to start the 2025 campaign under first-year head coach Ben Johnson.

In a piece published Tuesday, Odunze spoke with ESPN's Courtney Cronin about how he stayed positive despite everything that went wrong for the Bears during his first pro season.

Rome Odunze kept head high amid previous struggles

"I always feel like I'm in it for the long run," Odunze told Cronin. "I realized my first year, regardless of if I was a rookie, All-Pro or I was portrayed as a bust, I'm going to keep my head high and steady through it."

The Bears made Odunze the third wide receiver drafted in 2024 (No. 9 overall), behind Marvin Harrison Jr. (No. 4) and Malik Nabers (No. 6). Per StatMuse, Odunze finished last season ranked seventh among rookies with 54 receptions and sixth with 734 receiving yards. Over 17 games, he caught just three touchdowns during a season that saw the in-season firings of offensive coordinator Shane Waldron and head coach Matt Eberflus. Odunze and the team endured a 10-game losing streak until the Bears secured a meaningless Week 18 win in January. 

To compare, ESPN stats show that Odunze ended Week 7 as the Bears' leader in receptions (24), targets (46) and receiving yards (359). Only four players in the NFL have more touchdown catches this season than Odunze (five). 

"I just wanted to have the success of the team," Odunze added during his chat with Cronin. "I always feel like I can contribute and be a part of a big role for the success of the team that I'm on. So, I'm going to continue to hold that mindset. And obviously, last year that was kind of minimized at certain points, but I don't think that was necessarily because of anybody in the room or necessarily anything that was directly in that fashion. ...It obviously caused a little bit of frustration, but I'm always kind of steady and working towards my goals."

Rome Odunze is more than just a top target for Bears

It's no secret that the main reason the Bears hired Johnson this past offseason was that they hoped he'd help 2024 first overall draft pick Caleb Williams become an elite franchise quarterback. It seems Johnson also has high hopes for Odunze, which go beyond what the 23-year-old will be as a weapon for Williams.

"He's a pro," Johnson recently said about Odunze. "He's started off hot here. Hopefully, that'll continue to go. I know he's just a guy that's committed to winning right now, and whatever it takes for us as an offense to score points and as a team to win ballgames. I see him as a leader here on this team."

Odunze will next look to have a big outing when the Bears play the Baltimore Ravens (1-5) on Sunday. Baltimore will enter Week 8 surrendering a league-worst 32.3 points per game for the season.