Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze, due to circumstances largely out of his control, had a disappointing rookie season in 2024. One of 34 NFL wide receivers to get more than 100 targets last season, and a top-15 wide receiver in a wide array of deeper metrics (average depth of target, air yards, red zone targets, etc.) he finished with just 54 catches for 734 yards and three touchdowns.
With the departure of Keenan Allen and his 121 targets from last year, Odunze gets a bump from being the Bears' No. 3 wide receiver as a rookie to No. 2 in the pecking order this year. Subsequent breakout buzz for him entering Year 2 has been automatic and widespread.
Besides the sheer target volume Allen is leaving behind, check out this note from last season via Football Insights.
Snap share from 2-WR sets
DJ Moore: 95%
Keenan Allen: 71%
Rome Odunze: 44%
Odunze at 98% in two games without Allen. Odunze’s highest scoring week occurred in this span @FantasyPtsData
— Football Insights 📊 (@fball_insights) July 4, 2025
When the Bears are in two-receiver sets this season, Odunze might never leave the field. A more efficient offense, guided by head coach Ben Johnson, also lines Odunze up for more red zone looks and his efficiency in that area (six catches and three touchdowns on 17 red zone targets last season) can only improve.
If we know nothing else about Johnson, we know he will do (or has already done) a deep dive into how he can better utilize the Bears' offensive skill position players. The core of last year's issues was coaching and play-calling, not the talent of the pieces involved. One of the best pieces of evidence of that incompetence was in how D.J. Moore was used.
Ben Johnson is presumably aware of sneaky way to fully unlock Rome Odunze
It's low-hanging fruit at this point, but Jonathon Macri of Pro Football Focus put Odunze on his list of fantasy football breakout candidates at wide receiver for this year.
Diving into how Odunze might fit into Johnson's offense, Macri revealed an unexpected well of efficiency for the Bears' budding second-year stud in light of how Amon-Ra St. Brown was used in Johnson's Detroit offense.
"St. Brown's role in Johnson’s offense has required a little more than half of the player’s routes to come from the slot, and while Moore is typically closer to the average slot receiver's size, Odunze shouldn’t be ruled out of that spot. In 2024, Odunze ran a higher rate of routes from the slot than Moore and was even more effective in that role, as highlighted in the chart below."
On the chart Macri laid out in his piece, Odunze had a higher route rate (as was mentioned), more receiving yards, a higher yards per route run (1.55 vs. 1.37), a higher yards per catch (14.6 vs. 8.0) and a higher first down rate out of the slot than Moore did last season.
"It’s a small sample, but on just 39 more routes than Moore, Odunze was undeniably more efficient out of the slot in his rookie season."
According to PFF, Odunze lined up in the slot for one-third of his snaps last season (317 of 952). That's not an egregiously low percentage, especially when considering Odunze barely topped a 16 percent slot snap rate in his final year at Washington.
The previous coaching staff seemed to realize they had something when they used the 6-foot-3 Odunze as a proverbial "big slot" receiver; however, they didn't utilize him in that way enough, given his efficiency. Allen also lined up in the slot for more than half of his snaps last season, taking away a notable chunk of opportunities for Odunze there.
Read more:Fantasy analyst opens door to high-end outcome for Roschon Johnson in 2025
If Odunze is going to have the kind of second-year breakout many expect, finding sneaky ways to put him in favorable spots will be part of the equation. Johnson is certainly aware of how proficient Odunze was out of the slot last year. Time will tell how that edge is exploited as part of what can only be a more efficient Bears' offense this season.