Despite a breakthrough season for the Bears as a team, wide receiver Rome Odunze acknowledged he fell short of expectations in key moments of his sophomore campaign.
The 2025 Chicago Bears season was, in so many ways, a huge success.
Few people truly expected the Bears to win 11 games, capture the NFC North title, advance in the playoffs against their biggest rival, and take the mighty Los Angeles Rams — the No. 1 offense in football — to overtime in the divisional round.
They did all of those things. But of course, it’s hard not to feel disappointed after seeing them come up short — especially when it felt like they left plenty of plays out on the field.
And no, I’m not going to sit here and write an article criticizing head coach Ben Johnson for his fourth-down decision-making. He passed up multiple field goals throughout regulation, but looking back negatively on those decisions would be a misuse of hindsight.
I didn’t disagree with any of them at the time. Instead, I look back shaking my head at Chicago’s inability to execute on those plays.
The run game was horrific in short-yardage situations. The ball didn’t bounce the Bears’ way on defense to create turnovers. And there were plenty of mistakes and drops from Chicago’s pass catchers.
All of those were marginal reasons why the Bears’ magical season came to an end in overtime. But one issue stood out above the rest — because it was a consistent problem all season long.
I’m not sure what to make of it, or what the solution is, but Bears wide receivers let Caleb Williams down this season.
Rookie tight end Colston Loveland and rookie wide receiver Luther Burden III were standout players who deserve praise for their tremendous seasons. But the same can’t be said for everyone Williams was throwing to.
I’m not sure if it was an injury issue, an awareness issue, or an effort issue, but there were moments this season when DJ Moore didn’t appear to give 100 percent with the ball coming his way.
There was an interception in Week 18 that Moore didn’t fight particularly hard to break up, followed by a poorly run route — and a jog at best — on the interception in overtime that ultimately ended Chicago’s season.
Olamide Zaccheaus struggled with his fair share of drops as well, many of them coming in critical situations before he began losing snaps to Burden. Disappointing, sure — but Zaccheaus was never expected to be more than a role player in this offense.
The same cannot be said for Rome Odunze, who wasn’t just selected in the first round of the NFL Draft, but was taken ninth overall back in 2024.
Odunze’s production wasn’t what you’d hope for from a top-10 wide receiver in his rookie season, but he received the benefit of the doubt due to how broken Chicago’s offense was at the time.
This year, however, with Ben Johnson calling the plays, there should have been no excuses.
And to be fair to Odunze, his foot injury — which sidelined him for the final stretch of the regular season — may have impacted him in the playoffs as well.
But a foot injury isn’t responsible for whether or not you can catch a pass. And far too often this season, Odunze failed to make plays for his quarterback — whether it was routine drops that hit him in the chest, contested catches, or balls placed near the sideline.
Those are the types of plays you have to make if you’re going to be a No. 1 wide receiver in the NFL. If you watch the best of the best around the league, those are the catches they consistently come down with to make their quarterback’s life easier.
Odunze did the opposite.
On the Bears’ opening drive against the Rams on Sunday night, Caleb Williams put a throw right on Odunze’s hands — an easy touchdown if he comes down with it.
Instead, it was a drop. And after a failed fourth-down conversion, it became an empty possession for the Bears that should have ended with seven points.
Those are the plays the Bears will look back on and wish they had back — and it opens the door for a pretty uncomfortable conversation this offseason.
The Bears aren’t in the most comfortable salary-cap position in the league, and they may need to evaluate what they’re doing with some of their highest-paid players.
With Loveland and Burden taking steps forward and projecting to be major parts of Ben Johnson’s offense next season, it has left some wondering whether the Bears should explore trading DJ Moore and his contract.
It’s a fair conversation — certainly one worth entertaining. But it’s an idea I’m uncomfortable with, given how much remains to be seen from Rome Odunze.
Some have even floated the idea of trading Odunze himself — using him as a piece to bolster the defensive line. That carries far less merit given that he’s still on his rookie contract. But there’s no question the Bears must find a solution to the drops moving forward.
They need to upgrade the room — whether that means personnel changes or players like Odunze simply stepping up and improving.
He needs to be better. And he knows it.
During a somber-like locker-room clean-out day for the Chicago Bears on Monday, Odunze addressed the media and admitted the hard truth about his 2025 season.
“I gotta step through and proceed to be a catalyst to this team’s success and I don’t feel like I did that well enough this season," said Odunze to the media on Monday.
And that hits the nail on the head. When you’re drafted where Odunze was drafted — and when you have the talent and potential that he does — you simply have to be more of a catalyst for your offense’s success.
I’m still a big fan of Rome Odunze the player, and an even bigger fan of Rome Odunze the person.
He’s been great in the Bears’ locker room, and I respect his willingness to offer an honest self-evaluation.
But the Chicago Bears need to demand more from him in 2026 — and he needs to demand more from himself.
If Odunze takes the next step he’s capable of, it will go a long way toward the sustained success the Bears hope to build with Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams in town.