An Open Letter to Rome Odunze Heading Into Week 6
After watching you play in Week 4 against the Raiders, I really started to ask myself, “Do we actually have our franchise receiver?” Last year, when we drafted you out of Washington, you reminded me so much of a Mike Evans-type receiver, and I knew you were going to be our guy here in Chicago. Pairing up with an excellent, elite receiver in DJ Moore was a recipe for success, and it’s shown so far in your sophomore year. With the increase in your target share, you’ve performed. You just broke 1,000 yards in your career, and you're on pace for more than 1,250 yards this season.
So if you wouldn’t mind, I would love to pick your brain and ask a couple of questions to someone about to break a whole bunch of records for the Chicago Bears.
When you were drafted, what were your emotions coming to the Chicago Bears? Did you know anything about the team before you got here?
Since you're now a Chicago native, what are your favorite places to eat and go out to? Favorite postgame win restaurants, team dinner restaurants, or any place you think that gets your seal of approval.
The city of Chicago is such an intimidating city to play in. There are historic teams such as the '85 Bears, the early '90s Bulls, and the 2010 Blackhawks. I talked a little about this in my preseason preview, where I highlighted the expectations that Chicago fans feel for their sports teams. It’s hard to be acclimated and accepted into such a tough sports city, but coming into year two, it’s got to be a little easier from draft night all the way up to now.
Playing for your offensive coordinator, Ryan Grubb, in Washington, your stats were off the charts. How was your connection with him, and what was the impact of his system on your development?
If you had the chance to stick yourself into any NFL offense from any year in history, what would be your pick?
How did playing with Michael Penix Jr. in Washington compare to playing with Caleb Williams? Was there anything that you noticed you developed stronger playing with both guys?
You really flourished as an elite receiver during your junior and senior years of college at Washington under OC Ryan Grubb. You had 1,145 yards in your junior year and 1,640 yards in your senior year. Not to mention you were an All-American in 2023.
Coming into this season, everyone waited to see if you could take that big step in production when elevated to a bigger role. You’ve shown that you can handle that workload and more. What was your mindset during the offseason, and what was your biggest focus on developing to perform like this through the first 4 weeks?
What has been the biggest lesson that you’ve learnt from DJ Moore? How has your relationship with him helped transition you from college into the NFL?
After your breakout and impressive winning performances in Week 3 and Week 4 for two clutch wins, what’s the mindset going into Week 6?
In my most recent article, Are the Chicago Bears Legit Contenders?, I had a section about your sophomore production, discussing its importance to this offense and the deep need for a deep threat/X-type receiver. It’s not only important for you but also crucial for Caleb Williams’ confidence and development.
I can’t wait to see the future of your career, your continued development as a leader, and your success within the NFL!
Sincerely,
Dominic Orrico
Bears Writer, Fan Feed Network