Bears Open to Shifting Offensive Scheme to Unleash Rome Odunze's Strengths

Ben Johnson's offense is many things. 

Creative. Unpredictable. Explosive. 

Of course, it includes a diverse rushing attack and a ton of pre-snap motion. There was plenty of that throughout the Chicago Bears' 2025 season. 

A lot can be said about Johnson's scheme and the challenges it presents to defenses. One thing that Johnson's offense hasn't featured, even dating back to this time as the offensive play caller in Detroit, is contested catches. 

The Bears' head coach shared his opinion on those types of plays the day after the Bears' 19-17 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in Week 11.  

"Yeah, I’m not a big guy on 50-50 balls to be honest with you," Johnson said. "You can look at my track record of calling games and we like to get guys open a little bit more than just throw it up for grabs, and so that’s not really what we want to be about necessarily."

That may have been Johnson's mindset back then, but that's not the case now. The offensive innovator is always looking to evolve, especially with quarterback Caleb Williams not entering his second season in the system. 

Third-year receiver Rome Odunze benefits the most with more opportunities for 50/50 balls. 

Offensive coordinator Press Taylor shared his assessment of Odunze's training camp so far, and he highlighted Odunze's detailed route running, speed, explosion and his distinctive trait.

"You see the contested catch ability that he has," Taylor said. "I think we've increased giving him those opportunities as well. We've made it a point of emphasis to try to push the ball down the field on some contested go balls because that's obviously a strength of his. That's something we didn't feature much as a coaching staff last year. To add to our offense and what we can do and experiment with certain things, we've given him some of those opportunities. He's made his fair share of plays on those, so that's encouraging.”

In the Bears' training camp practice on Aug. 8, Odunze elevated in the back of the end zone and came down with a touchdown despite several players in the vicinity. Odunze's teammates congratulated him, including Williams who bumped helmets with his receiver. 

Odunze is the biggest receiver on the Bears' roster at 6-foot-3, 214 pounds. In his final season at the University of Washington, he finished with a 75% contested catch rate -- first among wide receivers with 100 targets. As a rookie in 2024, Odunze hauled in 13 of 18 contested targets for a league-high 72.7% contested catch, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). 

But that number significantly dropped last season. PFF credited Odunze with just seven catches on 20 contested opportunities last season (35%). The Bears' receiver also dealt with a stress fracture in his foot, which definitely impacted Odunze. 

He wasn't the same player after injuring his foot in late October, but he is fully primed to return to form as a reliable and productive playmaker this season. After completing his rehab process, he told reporters on July 30 that his body "feels amazing."

Giving Odunze more of those 50/50 ball opportunities is a way to expand the offense. Johnson understands how to scheme his players open, but there are times throughout a game when a particular matchup can be exploited because one player is more physically imposing than the other. And with Odunze's height and ability to elevate over defenders, it's another way to create explosives down field. 

Johnson's willingness to adapt shows he will do whatever it takes to maximize his player's strengths. Now, Odunze gets the opportunity to showcase one of his best attributes, unlocking another layer for the Bears' offense to attack defenses this season.