Chicago Bears rookie third-round wide receiver Zavion Thomas could emerge as "a valuable gadget player on offense" in Chicago in his first year in the NFL while also contributing his 4.28-second 40-yard-dash speed as a returner on special teams, according to Courtney Cronin of ESPN. Cronin questions whether head coach Ben Johnson has his next Jahmyr Gibbs, especially after the versatile speedster made plays during the offseason program and was labeled "electric" by teammates as he enters his first year in the league. The 21-year-old out of LSU obviously has big-play abilities because of his high-end speed, but in terms of playing time in his rookie season, that's going to be hard to come by with Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III and Kalif Raymond, and tight end Colston Loveland ahead of him on the depth chart. But if Thomas impresses as a gadget player early on, Johnson will surely manufacture more touches for him. For now, Thomas is merely a deep dynasty/keeper stash who will see most of his playing time on special teams
Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze is set to test his altered left foot in training camp on July 28. He suffered a stress fracture last season but opted against surgery. Despite missing time and the emergence of rookies Burden and Loveland, Odunze was the fantasy WR3 early last season and is ranked WR33, with potential to reclaim the top receiving spot in Chicago's offense
The commencement of training camps is just around the corner. As teams fine-tune their rosters in the coming weeks in pursuit of their ultimate goal, winning a Super Bowl , which positional needs remain? Although it feels like it was much longer ago, the Packers acquired Micah Parsons from Dallas in exchange for draft compensation and defensive tackle Kenny Clark last August. Although it did not have ramifications on last year's postseason, many expected that it would at the time of the deal. There are several other small-scale moves executed in exchange for draft considerations. The Dolphins claimed cornerback Juju Brents on waivers, and now he is in line to start. Center Luke Fortner was acquired by the Saints from the Jaguars . He spent most of the 2025 season blocking for breakout rookie Tyler Shough and parlayed that into a contract from the rival Panthers this offseason. Negligible transactions in the moment can make both short and long-term impacts. Which positions could be of interest to your respective favorite NFL team ? Here is one perspective on the biggest need for each NFC team ahead of the 2026 NFL regular season: The defensive line is a concern. Chicago allowed the fourth-most yards before contact (1.89) in 2025, per TruMedia. The response has been to sign Neville Gallimore and Kentavius Street . The third wide receiver spot behind Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III comes down to Kalif Raymond , Scotty Miller and rookie Zavion Thomas . The offensive line could suffer a setback with Drew Dalman's abrupt retirement, leading to the acquisition of Garrett Bradbury . An injury to Ozzy Trapilo means that Braxton Jones will have to play extended time once again. The unforeseeable expulsion of Terrion Arnold created a void in Chicago's secondary. Veteran Rock Ya-Sin is slated to start opposite D.J. Reed , and depth is really thin. The Lions may look to acquire help prior to the season. Free agent acquisition Nate Hobbs did not deliver the season Green Bay anticipated, and Keisean Nixon , Carrington Valentine are in line to start again. It is a gamble, as is defensive lineman Javon Hargrave tapping into the fountain of youth. It is worth monitoring how the offensive line comes together with multiple players taking on larger roles. With Harrison Smith not currently in the plans for the 2026 season, safety is a weakness after selecting Florida defensive tackle Caleb Banks in the first round. Joshua Metellus, Jay Ward , Jakobe Thomas and Theo Jackson are competing for those two spots. The interior offensive line needs to stay healthy and Blake Brendel is tasked with filling Ryan Kelly's shoes post-retirement. Linebacker and cornerback are a few other spots to monitor. Linebacker had been high on the priority list for the Buccaneers, but they invested a second-round pick in Josiah Trotter . Zyon McCollum and Benjamin Morrison are slated to start on the boundary. Both are relatively young in their respective careers, so that could be an up-and-down experience. Depth is even thinner. Jacob Parrish is physical in the slot. Wide receiver and defensive tackle are on similar footing. At receiver, the team added a few veterans, Jahan Dotson and Olamide Zaccheaus , but those are the only proven commodities aside from Drake London . Atlanta drafted Zachariah Branch in the third round, but he may not be ready to run the full route tree. The Falcons flipped defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro for Maason Smith . The team also has Brandon Dorlus and Da'Shawn Hand at the position. Edge rusher is a wild card with James Pearce Jr.'s situation. The team spent big on defense in free agency, bringing in linebacker Devin Lloyd and edge rusher Jaelan Phillips . Lloyd's presence could have a positive impact on Trevin Wallace , a talented player. The area lacking elite talent is the secondary, where Carolina could use help at cornerback or safety to support Jaycee Horn . Mike Jackson played above expectations, but is that sustainable? [... truncated ...]
The Chicago Bears made massive strides in 2025, but last year is last year, and they’re turning the page to a new chapter. To have sustained success, they’ll need several players to break out, so here are my top 5 who I believe will. Picks 10-6 can be found here ! 5. WR Rome Odunze Despite some less-than-ideal moments early in the season for Odunze, he was well on his way to his first 1,000-yard season and potentially 10-plus receiving touchdowns. Injuries happen in the game, and the third-year receiver deserves plenty of credit for trying to play through a stress fracture in his foot. That said, the production has tailed off, leading many to wonder whether he is capable of reaching his pre-draft ceiling. All the concerns aside, there’s never going to be a better opportunity than what’s in front of him heading into 2026. Not only does Odunze have the chance to be the “featured” weapon in this offense, but he goes into the year as their primary X-receiver on the outside. While Burden (who we will cover later) is flashier and more explosive, the combination of Odunze and Colston Loveland could feed this offense all season. The talent is there, and the size is clear. Drops and lack of success on 50/50 balls are the big concerns coming out of last season, but playing through that painful of an injury isn’t easy. 2026 should be the year Odunze proves why he was taken No. 9 overall. 4. DE Austin Booker Contrary to what many believed the team would target during the offseason, no impact edge rushers have been added to the roster for the upcoming season. Part of that could be due to how much money they already have tied up in their current group, but the coaching staff continues to be vocal in support of the talent on the depth chart. While Montez Sweat could be considered a top-end DE2, the depth behind him is what is in question. Dayo Odeyingbo is returning from the second torn Achilles tendon of his career but appears to be on track to be ready for Week 1. That said, the bigger focus is on Booker, who enters Year 3 with plenty of pressure. Despite a strong showing to kick off last preseason, the former fifth-round pick missed the first 7 games of last season with a knee injury. After recording one sack over his first six games, Booker totaled 3.5 sacks over the final four regular-season games, including another in the playoffs. Although his underlying pass-rushing metrics don’t stand out, it stands to reason that Booker could benefit from better depth and a more defined role moving forward. The team’s pass rush will be an unanswered question until it isn’t, but with Sweat’s rebound year in the books, don’t be surprised to see him drawing more attention than before. If that’s the case and Odeyingbo can be healthy and productive, this will allow Booker to be featured more as a stand-alone pass rusher, which should drastically help his pressure rate and sack total. 3. S Dillon Thieneman For the first time in recent memory, the Bears found themselves picking in the 20s on draft night. While some might argue that lower picks in each round equate to lesser impact value in Year 1, consistent playoff contenders would beg to differ. For Thieneman, this was a player that some believed was closer to S1 ( Josh Downs ) than S3 (Emmanuel McNeil-Warren). Despite that, he dropped to No. 25, and it’s easy to feel like the Bears got a “steal” compared to the rest of the talent on the board. The Bears remade their safety rookie just one season after Kevin Byard ’s All-Pro campaign. Despite a league-high total in takeaways, it was easy to argue that every level of their defense needed more youth and higher-upside talent. That’s exactly what the former Purdue and Oregon product should bring to the back end of the secondary. It was clear that defensive coordinator Dennis Allen valued versatility in the secondary, which Thieneman should bring, whether it’s at safety or in the nickel. With Coby Bryant as his running mate at safety, the team v
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The Chicago Bears 2025 season was a success, but several players underperformed. Some may bounce back in 2026, including Braxton Jones, who was re-signed after Ozzy Trapilo's injury
This is an article version of the CBS Sports HQ AM Newsletter, the ultimate guide to every day in sports. You can sign up to get it in your inbox every weekday morning here . We're less than a month away from the Aug. 3 trade deadline, and the MLB rumor mill is running wild . With that in mind, our own Mike Axisa put together a list of the top 25 MLB trade deadline candidates . The Mets have a pair of appealing starters -- and the Red Sox could move out two key arms -- but the Orioles have one of the best bats on the market in outfielder Taylor Ward . Ward, hitting .253 with a .378 on-base percentage, plays a role that's in short supply around baseball these days. Here's a taste of the other names on Axisa's board : One player who is most certainly not on the trade block is Rays third baseman Junior Caminero . The 23-year-old slugger has crushed 26 home runs, and he has powered his way into the AL MVP race . Judging an NFL Draft in its immediate aftermath is a perilous endeavor, but what about two years down the road? Hindsight is 20/20, but our own Zach Pereles conducted a redraft of the 2024 class , and two players had a fantastic case for the No. 1 overall pick. The Bears shouldn't have any regrets about taking Caleb Williams at the top of the draft, but has Drake Maye been the best player from that 2024 class? After leading the Patriots to a Super Bowl appearance, Maye gets the nod over Williams in this exercise. Williams didn't have to wait too much longer in our redraft -- going to the Commanders at No. 2 overall. Check out the full draft here , but I'm nice enough to share a sneak peek: 16. Seahawks: Graham Barton, C, Duke 17. Vikings: Zach Frazier, C, WVU 18. Bengals: Nate Wiggins, CB, Clemson 19. Rams: Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State 20. Steelers: Rome Odunze, WR, Washington Meanwhile, in the reality where the Bears did draft Williams, he gifted an autographed jersey to Pope Leo XIV . And in the process did Williams accidentally unveil the team's new alternate look in the process? Well, not quite. As far as the 2026 draft class is concerned, Cardinals running back Jeremiyah Love is one of a few players facing immediate pressure . 🎾 Wimbledon: Quarterfinals , 8 a.m. on ESPN/ESPN2 ⚽ World Cup: Argentina vs. Egypt , 12 p.m. on Fox ⚽ World Cup: Switzerland vs. Colombia , 4 p.m. on Fox ⚾ Yankees at Rays , 6:40 p.m. on TBS 🏀 Summer League: Hawks vs. Grizzlies , 7 p.m. on ESPNU 🏀 Wings at Liberty , 8 p.m. on ESPN 🏀 Summer League: Thunder vs. Jazz , 9 p.m. on ESPNU
While the run game has seen a resurgence in both volume and efficiency in recent seasons, the NFL remains, at its heart, a passing league in the modern era. Because it is a passing league, the value of both quarterbacks and pass catchers keeps increasing. We've seen it in recent years, with an explosion in wide receiver salaries, with superstars topping $40 million in average annual value. A superstar wideout can tilt the field in the offense's favor through both his production and the attention he draws, and that has never been more valuable. But what's more valuable than one star wideout? Well, two star wideouts, obviously. With that in mind, we here at CBS Sports decided to take a look at the top wide receiver duos in the NFL. There are plenty of dual-star duos, as well as some buoyed by one mega-star who teams with another quality player to form an elite pairing. Right now, we think there is a clear-cut top two, another tier of three and then another tier of three after that. That gives us a clear-cut top eight, with the rest of the league filling in behind. In the space below, we're going to rank those top eight duos. But before we do, we also wanted to include some honorable mentions. Honorable(-ish) Mentions: Mike Evans and Ricky Pearsall ( 49ers ), Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III ( Bears ), DJ Moore and Khalil Shakir ( Bills ), Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin ( Buccaneers ), Alec Pierce and Josh Downs ( Colts ), DeVonta Smith and Makai Lemon ( Eagles ), Brian Thomas Jr . and Jakobi Meyers ( Jaguars ), Christian Watson and Jayden Reed ( Packers ), Chris Olave and Jordyn Tyson ( Saints ), DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr. ( Steelers ) This Seahawks pairing would be higher on the list if we had confidence in which of Shaheed or Cooper Kupp would actually be the No. 2 wide receiver, and that they would be able to consolidate that role while the other would slide further into the background. As it stands, it's more of a target vacuum in JSN, with a couple of guys competing for second-string targets among a host of tight ends and running backs. JSN is coming off one of the better receiver seasons in recent memory, though, so he alone is enough to power the Seahawks into the top 10 of these rankings. And I could easily see them ranking much higher next year, if Shaheed consolidates the role behind him. We've got another new duo on tap here, with both players new to New England this offseason. AJB is one of the small handful of best receivers in football when he is right, but he's also coming off a relatively down season (he averaged his fewest yards per game since 2021) and turned 29 years old June 30, so we don't know if he'll be able to be at his best. Doubs, meanwhile, has always been a bit of a better player than his numbers suggest, because he's always been in such a crowded receiver room. These two guys should give Drake Maye a duo that can really win in the intermediate areas of the field, and Brown, if he rebounds, can win both short and long and create a ton of yardage after the catch. This is yet another new duo, but it could be very exciting. Waddle remains a big-play threat both on deep passes and in terms of creating yardage with the ball in his hands due to his speed. Sutton works best as an isolated X receiver on the outside. The duo gives Bo Nix a pair of wideouts who challenge defenses in markedly different ways, but who can work a lot of the same areas of the field nonetheless. Sean Payton and Davis Webb should have a lot of fun scheming them into position to succeed. Jefferson is coming off what qualifies as a down season for him, with "only" 84 catches for 1,048 yards and two scores. Addison missed time again and caught 42 passes for 610 yards and three touchdowns. They were both hamstrung by the quarterback play of J.J. McCarthy , Carson Wentz and Max Brosmer , though, and we know they have considerably more upside than what they showed last season. Jefferson remains one of the small handful of [... truncated ...]
THE DAILY SPONGIE SPECIAL BEARSSSSSS Bears’ Rome Odunze among stars in Adidas’ ‘Speed Broker’ ad campaign Chad ‘Ochocinco’ Johnson plays a ‘speed broker’ who keeps track of nine fast football players, including five who play in the NFL. Bears great Mike Singletary: ‘I see a lot of Patrick Mahomes’ in Caleb Williams I like Mike. Bears Mailbag: The Defensive Back On Thin Ice Heading Into 2026 Season The Iceman, but not in a good way? Caleb Williams vs. the Blitz: How the Bears’ QB Carves Up Extra Pressure Like a hot knife through butter. POLISH SAUSAGE Jayden Daniels: We’ve built offensive foundation, have a lot more to do You can start with not being injured all the time, JD. Brendan Sorsby’s agent cites Kayshon Boutte precedent in support of no NFL suspension Because of course he does. Joe Burrow: I thrive off pressure, we’ll find out who else does Joe Burrow ’s offensive line thrives on getting Joe pressured as well. And injured. Brendan Sorsby’s agent says 26 NFL teams have reached out since Monday Wanna bet the Chicago Bears were not one of them? (Wanna bet? See what I did there?) KNOW THINE ENEMY A Familiar Face for Bears Fans is Returning to the NFC North Ryan Pace: Purple Franchise Eater. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ON WINDY CITY GRIDIRON 10 Bears Takes (Part 2): Roster battles, contract extensions, and more Ten Chicago Bears with the most to prove in 2026: 4. Grady Jarrett 30 Day Challenge: My favorite Bears team of all time 10 Bears Takes (Part 1): Offensive expectations, injury list, and more 2nd City Gridiron is our video home! So hit the link and help us grow that brand! THE RULES Windy City Gridiron Community Guidelines – SBNation.com – We strive to make our communities open and inclusive to sports fans of all backgrounds. The following are not permitted in comments. No personal attacks, politics, gender-based insults of any kind, racial insults, profanity, etc. 2nd City Gridiron Podcast Channel which includes Bears Banter hosted by Bill Zimmerman, Bear & Balanced from Jeff Berckes and Lester A. Wiltfong Jr., Bears Over Beers featuring Ryan Droste and Bryan Orenchuk, Making Monsters with Taylor Doll, The Mac & Read Show from Evan McLean and Ross Read, The Chicago Draft Room with Ari Temkin and Jacob Infante, and an occasional T Formation Conversation from Lester; Steven’s Streaming Twitch Channel from Steven Schweickert is another fun one. Click on our names to follow our Windy City Gridiron and 2nd City Gridiron teams on Twitter: Gary Baugher Jr. ; Jeff Berckes ; Dr. Patti Curl ; Sarah DeNicolo ; Ryan Droste ; Eric Christopher Duerrwaechter ; Dan Durkin ; Taylor Doll ; Donald Gooch ; Kev H ; Sam Householder ; Jacob Infante ; Aaron Lemming ; Evan McLean ; Dr. Ken Mitchell ; Bryan Orenchuk ; Ross Read : Jack R Salo ; Steven Schweickert ; Jack Silverstein ; Ari Temkin ; Khari Thompson ; Lester Wiltfong, Jr. ; T.J. Starman ; Khari Thompson ; Bill Zimmerman ; 2nd City Gridiron ; Like WCG on Facebook ; Like 2nd City Gridiron on Facebook . .redcircle-link:link { color: #ea404d; text-decoration: none; } .redcircle-link:hover { color: #ea404d; } .redcircle-link:active { color: #ea404d; } .redcircle-link:visited { color: #ea404d; } Powered by RedCircle
It’s that time of year again, folks: padless football is back in action, and us football-starved junkies can’t help but be glad. (That’s all we get to hold us over for the next month until training camp starts. Plus, it’s way more fun to think about than whatever’s going on with the Chicago Bears’ stadium saga.) And, despite every impulse telling us not to read too much into it, you can’t deny it’s nice to see third-round rookie Zavion Thomas pop up with a highlight play or two in the few glimpses we’ve gotten of the Chicago Bears during this off-season phase. At one point during OTAs, Thomas got loose for a long sideline grab from QB1 Caleb Williams and later showed off his speed on a screen pass during minicamp. On a team with a lot of good skill players, from Rome Odunze on down to D’Andre Swift , there’s no denying someone like Thomas simply looks different. Football is not a game you win just by being fast. But speed in the right hands can kill, and that’s what head coach Ben Johnson was thinking when he reached for Thomas with the 89th overall pick in the draft. “If we can harness all this energy and make sure that we can trust him and that he’s going to align where he needs to and run the route the way we need him to, we really could use him, and he could be a big weapon for us this year. But that’s what we’re trying to harness right now,” Johnson told reporters of Thomas . “I think he’s developing the work ethic that we expect, not only from a receiver, but from anyone on offense, or the team.” Thomas was certainly a curious pick at that stage, given the other, much more polished prospects available in the third round. But the reasoning for drafting him (at some point) is obvious: with a coaching staff that can develop him, he has the potential to become a game-changing weapon in the slot, out of the backfield, and in the return game. The Bears have possession receivers (Odunze), matchup nightmares ( Colston Loveland ), YAC monsters ( Luther Burden III ), and a stable of solid running backs in Swift and Kyle Monangai . What they don’t have? A straight-up burner . Though Thomas isn’t likely to be Tyreek Hill or even Jameson Williams , whom Johnson oversaw the drafting of while with the Lions, his 4.28 40 time and toughness with the ball in his hands is tantalizing (if he can consistently catch it). Of course, that’s the thing: looking good in OTAs and minicamp, or even the first few days of training camp, doesn’t guarantee success. As a former Patriots beat reporter, I’ve watched Tyquan Thornton show signs of production in minicamp and training camp, only to eventually disappear and get traded away from the team. And while he looks like a more traditionally functional player than Velus Jones Jr., it’s hard to completely disregard that comparison. Speed always pops when the pads aren’t on and no one can hit you. But when it’s time to run real routes and beat coverage not just with physicality but with nuance and technical skill, can Thomas do that? His college stats, in addition to him being (generously) sixth on the pass-catching pecking order in the early going with this roster, suggest we shouldn’t be expecting some Rookie-of-the-Year-level breakout from him. Then again, I don’t think the Chicago Bears need or want that from him at all. Even if he’s nowhere near ready to be a third or fourth option at this stage in his career, just putting him on the field will make defenses think. Depending on what he does in training camp and in preseason games, getting the ball in his hands with schemed touches once or twice a game feels reasonable to keep opponents honest. The bottom line: let’s keep the expectations low for Thomas as a rookie—draft pedigree be damned—and give Johnson’s forward-thinking vision a chance to work. As we saw with Burden last year, sometimes it’s best to get a talented player before you need him. That way, you won’t find yourself regretting not swinging when you had the chance. If there’s a
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Does it seem like Jaylon Johnson has been a member of the Chicago Bears for a long time? He was drafted by Ryan Pace for Matt Nagy’s team. He has had six different defensive coordinators in his career. He was a Bear for the duration of the Justin Fields era, then changed his jersey number from 33 to 1 after Fields left. Speaking of quarterbacks, he’s watched as 10 different QBs have thrown a pass for the Bears. He also has two Pro Bowl nods and has made a 2nd Team All-Pro. Last season, his play suffered as he battled through a groin injury and core muscle surgery, which held him to only 9 total games (including the playoffs). Only three of those contests saw him play over 80% of the defensive snaps as the Bears rotated him at corner to keep him fresh. Watching him play in 2025 felt like his glory years were behind him, but did you realize he just turned 27 a couple of months ago? He’s in his athletic prime, and if he’s healthy, he’ll make a huge difference. At his Wednesday press conference, head coach Ben Johnson was asked if Jaylon had recovered from the injuries and was looking like his old self. “I don’t know that I ever saw ‘himself’ so it’s hard for me to gauge that, particularly this time of year,” Johnson said . “But I think he had a good day yesterday out there. He’s been able to stack a few of those throughout the OTAs. I think his mind is probably getting more confident in terms of the movements he’s making. So yeah, he’s a vital part of what we want to do. You know he’s been a Pro Bowl-caliber player in the past, and hopefully we can get that out of him again this year.” Yesterday, Jaylon had a nice practice with a couple of interceptions in the team portion, and today, he got a shout-out for a pass breakup on a long throw for Rome Odunze from Caleb Williams . Do you think Jaylon Johnson can return to the Pro Bowl form he showed just two years ago?
The article identifies bounce-back candidates for dynasty fantasy football, focusing on players poised to outperform their current value. Ladd McConkey is highlighted due to his promising rookie year, a sophomore slump attributed to team factors like Keenan Allen's presence and offensive line issues, and a hopeful outlook with a new offensive coordinator, Mike McDaniel, and the departure of Allen. Kyler Murray is also mentioned as a player whose value was impacted by injury. The author suggests trading players like Garrett Wilson, Emeka Egbuka, or Rome Odunze to acquire McConkey
Let’s move on with our third name on our list of the ten Chicago Bears with the most to prove in 2026. If you missed the first two installments, number 10 was punter Tory Taylor , number 9 was left tackle Braxton Jones . Number 8 is wide receiver Rome Odunze. Odunze certainly has not been bad in his first two seasons in Chicago, but he certainly hasn’t shown many signs of being the elite WR1 that the Bears expected him to be when they spent the ninth overall pick on him in 2024. Rome saw his yards per game increase in 2025 from 43 in 2024 to 55. And his yards per catch also increased from 13.6 to 15.0. Odunze also doubled his touchdown output from 3 to 6. While those numbers look like something to build on (and they are), there are also some concerning numbers as well. Odunze’s success rate did not improve at all and remained comfortably below 50% at 45.6%, and the most alarming number was that his catch rate dropped from a poor 53.5% in 2024 to an even worse 48.9% in 2025. Odunze’s success rate was 111th in the NFL. His catch rate was 190th out of 197 players. Again, Odunze’s catch rate was 190th out of 197 players. Caleb’s passer rating when he targeted Odunze was 81.8, placing him 154th among those 197 players. For comparison, Colston Loveland ’s passer rating was 121.6, Luther Burden’s was 123.1, and DJ Moore ’s was 103.2. Even Jahdae Walker ’s was 127.9. So while some of Odunze’s numbers improved last year, the efficiency with which he got those numbers was honestly woeful. There needs to be significant improvement from Odunze this year in this offense. Odunze did play through injuries at points last season, including a stress fracture, and that may have been a factor, but regardless of what other factors may have led to some of these numbers, they need to vastly improve in 2026. What does Odunze need to improve on this year to increase those productivity numbers? First of all, it would certainly help if Odunze were largely healthy this year. If he’s not, that would be two straight years dealing with injury issues, and that opens up another can of questions. Second, he needs to squeeze the football. Odunze needs to catch the ball better. He struggled with dropping the football, and his hands simply need to be more reliable. From a playing perspective, Antwaan Randle-El has talked about wanting better route running from Rome Odunze, and all of Caleb Williams ’ receivers need to be better in the scramble drill when Caleb goes off-book and tries to improvise. Even if Odunze improves this year, there’s a good chance that he falls to the third option in the offense behind Burden and Loveland. Keep in mind, last year Odunze led the team in targets despite missing 5 games. If Odunze’s role diminishes in the offense, the Bears may have a tough choice deciding if they want to pick up his fifth-year option after next season. Odunze’s salary would be somewhere between $20 and $24 million on that option. When you use a top ten pick on a player, the expectation has to be that the player receives a second contract with the team that drafted him. If Odunze doesn’t greatly improve this year, that contract will be in jeopardy. Now, before we decline Odunze’s fifth-year option and kick him off the team after the 2027 season, let’s be clear: Odunze may have struggled last year, but he missed games and played hurt during the back half of the season when the Bears’ offense started clicking. He has shown promise at points during his first two seasons, and this is only his second year with Ben Johnson. There are plenty of reasons to still be positive about Odunze’s outlook in Chicago, but there are reasons for concern as well. It may only be two seasons, but I’m at a point where I don’t think Odunze has WR1 stuff. I haven’t seen electric speed, dynamic jump ball ability, or fabulous catches that great wide receivers traditionally make. Odunze plays more like a reliable WR2, and that may be all Chicago needs him to be. If Lovela
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Rome Odunze stated Wednesday that while his foot feels different after a stress fracture last year, he believes his "new normal" will not prevent him from making plays
Odunze said Wednesday that his foot feels different after suffering a stress fracture last year, but he doesn't think his "new normal" will be "anything that's going to prohibit me from making plays," Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic reports. "I feel like with the break, it's just like when you tear your ACL, it's never really back to normal," Odunze said. This obviously isn't what fantasy managers want to hear, even if it's mostly just Odunze being overly honest about something that a lot of players deal with after significant injuries. He got off to a hot start in 2025 before the stress fracture torpedoed his season, and while he didn't need offseason surgery, the injury still adds an extra layer of risk to his fantasy profile for 2026 (and beyond?). Odunze seems to be a full participant at spring practices, handling his usual workload while adjusting to the different feeling in his foot. With DJ Moore gone, there's not much doubt about Odunze, Luther Burden and TE Colston Loveland serving as Chicago's top three pass catchers, in some order
Rome Odunze discussed his foot injury from last season, stating he has a "new normal" due to structural changes from the break. While not experiencing constant pain, he acknowledges the altered foot structure. Odunze aims to be the best receiver possible for the Bears, comfortable with his target share and optimistic about his ability to play despite the lingering effects of the injury
While some teams are trading for future HOF defensive ends, most of us are existing in the doldrums of the offseason. Join us in our quest to provide the best Bears centered topics around. Our next topic? Mine is easy – my former college teammate Brandon Marshall who set the franchise record for most receiving yards (1,508) and receptions (118) in single season. If you have been around here long enough, you more than likely have seen me talk about how Brandon started at safety in college the year I was on the team and led the team in tackles. He was a freight train standing 6’5” and weighing 230lb playing safety and I was a walk-on, scout team RB. I could tell stories of taking a hit from Brandon in the B gap that I felt for days or somehow catching a wheel route with him in coverage despite not being able to see the ball until the last nano-second, but this article is about his WR play. After starting his career in Denver with Jay Cutler , B-Marsh reunited with Cutty in Chicago in 2012 and immediately broke records. Brandon played the position like a LB and it showed in his run after catch and blocking ability. Here he is laying out former All-Pro Sean Lee with a clean block. And here he is seen high-pointing the football, stiff arming defenders and plucking the ball in tight-coverage. Though he was not drafted by Chicago and he was only a Bear for three seasons, Brandon Marshall averaged 93 catches for 1,175 yards and 10 TDs a season as a Bear. Only Alshon Jeffery, Darnell Mooney and DJ Moore have come close to those numbers since, and most of them only one time. While Tom Waddle, Curtis Conway, Rome Odunze and now Luther Burden III all drew considerations here, Brandon was a helluva Bear and embraced the city and rivalry with the best of them. His off-the-field issues have been scrutinized for years but as a pure WR to ever don orange and blue, none brought me more joy and excitement to watch than B-Marsh. Brandon, if you read this, hit me up so we can get you on our podcast!
Data comes from cached Sleeper and KTC snapshots. Values update when the sync jobs run.
