The idea sounds almost absurd at first: three Bears receivers cracking 1,000 yards in the same season.
And yet that’s the kind of ceiling being tossed around for Ben Johnson’s offense, where the buzz in Chicago has reached a point that feels bigger by the day. On a recent episode of The Athletic Football Show, Robert Mays laid out a scenario that would put the Bears in completely new territory.
"I think there's a world where both of them do, but it's like, both of them have like 1,200 yards and Colston Loveland has 1,000 and we're cooking with gas ... every single member of the Bears offense is going to break out this year."
That would be franchise history. The Bears have only had two seasons with multiple 1,000-yard receivers - 1995 and 2013 - and never three in the same year.
If that sounds like a stretch, Rome Odunze is the name that makes the conversation real.
He’s the piece people keep circling back to, even though the early reaction to his career has been mixed. Odunze has opened his first two seasons with 600-700 receiving yards, which is solid production for most players. For a receiver taken No. 9 overall, though, it leaves room for more.
The early 2025 stretch offered a sharper glimpse of what that next level could look like. Odunze scored five touchdowns in the first four games of the season, becoming the first Bears skill player to find the end zone in four straight games to start a season since Walter Payton. At the same time, he caught 22 of 40 targets, which fed the frustration around his connection with Caleb Williams as the quarterback kept looking his way.
That uneven start made the fit look shaky to some observers. But there were reasons for it, including the complexity of the offense and Williams working through his first season under Johnson.
Now the setup is different. Odunze is reportedly fully healthy, and Williams has a full year in Johnson’s system behind him. The foot issue that had been discussed as a “new normal” was described as nothing more than a callus in an unfamiliar spot - not pain, not a lingering limitation, just an adjustment.
If Odunze starts fast again, and Williams is more settled this time, the rest of the picture starts to come into focus. Add in the way Colston Loveland and Luther Burden III finished the season, and Mays’ eye-popping projection doesn’t feel quite so far-fetched.
The numbers from those late-season stretches are the reason. Odunze was on pace for 1,115 yards over his first five games.
Burden was on pace for 1,213 over his final five regular-season games. Loveland was on pace for 1,043 in that same span.
That’s the blueprint behind the hype: not just one breakout, but several at once. And if that version of the Bears offense shows up, the franchise record books could be in for a rewrite.
In Other News...
This Bears 53-Man Projection Hints At A Camp Twist Fans Will Debate
Training camp always turns the Bears roster math into a little puzzle, and this projection shows just how tight things could get once the team starts sorting out the final 53. The list by position points to a roster with clear starters and depth pieces, but it also suggests a few familiar names could be squeezed into uncomfortable spots before the opener.
Jack Sanborn, Stephen Carlson and Kentavius Street are among the players mentioned as being closest to the edge, which is the kind of early-camp pressure that usually creates plenty of debate among fans. The bigger issue may be how Chicago opens enough room for a third running back and for Ozzy Trapilos eventual return from injured reserve, two moves that could force the Bears to make some tough calls elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]
Jaquan Brisker Just Gave Bears Fans Another Reason To Miss Him
The Bears offseason overhaul at safety already made Jaquan Briskers exit feel like part of a larger reset, but the former second-round pick reminded fans why his departure still stings. Brisker spent most of four seasons as a starter in Chicago after arriving in 2022, and even with the team choosing not to bring him back, he remained one of the more recognizable pieces of the defense the Bears had to move on from.
Chicago has tried to address the spot by adding new faces to improve coverage consistency, but Briskers connection to the fan base clearly has not faded. He recently sent a message to Bears supporters that only added to the sense that this was a familiar player leaving behind more than just a roster spot, and it leaves one more reminder of how much change this defense has absorbed in a short time. [Read more 🡒]
Former Michigan Staffer Resurfaces In NFL As Sherrone Moore Drama Lingers
Paige Shiver, the former Michigan athletic department executive assistant whose name has lingered in the background of the Sherrone Moore saga, has reportedly resurfaced in the NFL with the Bears organization. The move adds another layer to a story that has already stretched from Ann Arbor to the legal system, where her name has remained tied to a dispute over what the university has and has not been willing to release.
Shiver is also the daughter of veteran Bears scout Jeff Shiver, which gives the development a familiar Chicago connection even as the Michigan matter continues to play out. She remains involved in a lawsuit against the university over public records tied to her relationship with Moore, after Michigan denied the requests on the grounds that an investigation was still ongoing. [Read more 🡒]