Bears WR Rome Odunze receives bad news before third NFL season

The Chicago Bears boasted one of the best sets of weapons in the NFL last season, and a big reason for that was wide receiver Rome Odunze.

Odunze was on quite a tear during the first half of 2025, putting together a pair of 100-plus yard performances while flashing tremendous after the catch ability. His size and athleticism certainly help, as well, but it’s clear that the former No. 9 overall pick is a very gifted talent.

However, on the season as a whole, Odunze caught just 44 passes for 661 yards and six touchdowns, largely due to the fact that he missed five games down the stretch due to a foot injury. He avoided surgery, but the injury obviously hampered his second NFL campaign.

So, with D.J. Moore being traded to the Buffalo Bills this offseason and no truly established wide receivers on the Bears’ roster otherwise (Luther Burden is still a work in progress), we should probably expect a massive season from Odunze in 2026, right?

Well, Dave Kluge of Yahoo Sports doesn’t necessarily think that will be the case.

Chicago Bears WR Rome Odunze receives a surprisingly grim 2026 outlook

Kluge feels that Odunze will serve as more of a decoy in Ben Johnson’s offense next season, using Johnson’s time with the Detroit Lions as an example.

“If you look at the time in Detroit, DJ Chark, Allen Robinson, Tim Patrick, Josh Reynolds, they had some talented big-body X-receivers, but they sure as heck weren’t getting targeted,” Kluge said on the Yahoo Fantasy Forecast. “They were just opening stuff underneath to get the ball to Amon-Ra St. Brown, and to get the ball to (tight end Sam) LaPorta.”

While Kluge makes a fair point, I do think it’s a bit misleading.

Yes, Johnson didn’t fully utilize his X-receivers as prime targets in Detroit, but none of those receivers were nearly as impressive as Odunze, who averaged 15 yards per catch in 2025 and was targeted 90 times in 12 games.

It’s also worth noting that Reynolds had a career year with the Lions in 2023, hauling in 40 receptions for 608 yards and five touchdowns on 15.2 yards per grab. Johnson definitely used him quite a bit, and his 64 targets that season were the second-most of his NFL tenure.

Not only that, but Chicago does not have a No. 1 receiver like St. Brown in its employ. At least not right now. Perhaps Burden could get to that point eventually, and it will be interesting to see how much of an uptick in production he has following Moore’s departure next season. But he isn’t there yet.

So while Johnson has had a tendency to use his X-receivers more as auxiliary options in the past, I’m not sure Odunze qualifies.

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