ClutchPoints
The Chicago Bears may be in the midst of a five-game losing streak, but the Chicago Bears’ pair of star rookies are a tight duo. Wide receiver Rome Odunze has unsurprisingly emerged as one of Caleb Williams’ favorite targets during both of their rookie campaigns, ranking second on the team in receptions (39), yards (518), and targets (70).
Both Williams (the No. 1 overall pick in the draft) and Odunze (the No. 9 overall pick in the draft) face a lot of attention and scrutiny as the Bears’ top picks of the 2024 NFL Draft. However, they’ve handled the pressure well with both players ranking among the very best at their position when it comes to first-year players.
“He’s awesome,” says Rome Odunze in a one-on-one interview of his relationship with Williams on behalf of his partnership with Sharpie. “He’s a great dude, always laughing and chopping it up about different things and talking ball and just relaxing. We’ve gone to some movies, done some parts of different things with people on the team, always a great time.”
The 22-year-old receiver mentions how he’s further bonded with the 23-year-old quarterback over the new Call of Duty game. Although he wouldn’t say it bluntly, he did admit that he’s better than Williams at Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6.
“We’ve been playing a little bit of Call of Duty with the new one coming out, so that’s been a lot of fun too. He’s a good dude. I’m not going to put him on blast right here, right now, but everybody knows I’m like that on there, I’m like that,” Rome Odunze responds when asked who is better at the game.
The Bears have had the definition of an up-and-down season this year, with a pair of recent down-to-the-wire losses to the divisional opponents in the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers. After missing a last-second field goal attempt with a chance to win the game against the Packers in Week 11, the Bears came up short in an overtime loss to the Vikings after overcoming an 11-point deficit with under two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
While being 4-7 isn’t fun, the continued growth of Williams continues to be a bright spot in the team’s 2024 season. The Bears’ rookie quarterback had one of his best performances of the season, throwing for 340 passing yards and two touchdowns with no turnovers against the 9-2 Vikings.
Williams probably won’t be winning Offensive Rookie of the Year, but his steady and calming performance at quarterback has kept the Bears in most games this season.
“He’s just very dialed in each and every week,” says Rome Odunze of Caleb Williams. “The things that you learn and the defensive recognition as a quarterback, I think has continued to grow. His recognition of reads and all those different things, I think he’s continued to grow on during the season. With those real live reps, that’s crucial to everybody’s development, especially at the hardest position...
