Rome Odunze News: Anticipates Year 2 leap

Odunze said at the final day of mandatory minicamp Thursday that his goal for the 2025 regular season is to compile at least 1,000 receiving yards and double-digit touchdowns, Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun Times reports.

Odunze's expectations for 2025 would be an enormous step forward from the 54-734-3 receiving line he tallied on 101 targets across 17 regular-season appearances as a rookie, but enough went wrong for Chicago in 2024 that a true evaluation of last year's No. 9 overall pick is difficult to make. Unreliable pass protection, inconsistency from Caleb Williams and coaching so poor that the Bears deployed three different offensive coordinators all stood in the way of Odunze's production, but the team has since upgraded to head coach Ben Johnson, previously the Lions' mastermind OC, and added three new starters along the interior O-line, including All-Pro LG Joe Thuney. While the departure of Keenan Allen still leaves Odunze with significant target competition from DJ Moore, first-round rookie TE Colston Loveland (shoulder) and second-round rookie WR Luther Burden (undisclosed), overall, fantasy managers couldn't have asked for better offseason developments as the talented wideout targets a significant step forward.