The Bears have a roster problem most teams would love to have: too many playmakers, not enough footballs. Ben Johnson is the one tasked with sorting it out, and the early word out of training camp is that Rome Odunze has already separated himself in one important way.
Johnson gave the third-year receiver a nickname that says plenty about how he views him: “Mr. Consistency.”
“Rome? Yeah, Mr.
Consistency,” Johnson told the media." I know the dialogue about his foot, and all that... and yet you didn't see any setback from that regard.
I thought he looked completely healthy. I showed a highlight to the team of him just the other day, cracking a safety in the joint practice.
That inspires me to not want to get him the football, but I need to get him the football when I see things like that. He's doing all the little things, the things that maybe other people don't notice, and the coaching staff is very appreciative of, because it's going to help us win games.
He's going to be a key cog of what we do."
That kind of praise matters because Odunze’s job in this offense goes beyond running routes and making catches. If he’s going to be part of what Johnson is building, he’ll also have to block, set a physical tone and do the unglamorous work that keeps a passing game moving.
Odunze has embraced that message during camp. Even with the lingering conversation around his foot, he’s made an impression by handling the details and showing the kind of edge Johnson wants from his top guys.
The Bears’ depth chart makes that especially interesting. Luther Burden III, Colston Loveland and rookie Zavion Thomas all have the kind of skill sets that can flash on any given night, which means the offense could end up spreading the ball around in a big way.
That’s part of the challenge, but it’s also the fun of this group. Johnson doesn’t sound interested in sheltering his best players. If they want touches, they’re going to earn them by helping everywhere else, too.
Odunze, for his part, looks ready for that role. He would be the clear No. 1 on a lot of teams, but he’s already talking and playing like someone focused on the bigger picture rather than just his own numbers.
And with Caleb Williams getting more comfortable in Johnson’s quarterback-friendly system, the Bears have the ingredients to become the most explosive offense in football. Odunze’s foot will remain part of the conversation, especially after he missed time last season, but the bigger takeaway from camp is simple: Johnson trusts him, and he trusts him because he keeps doing the little things that winning teams notice.
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Chicago is now waiting for more information ahead of its opener against the Carolina Panthers, with the status of both players suddenly part of the conversation. Any preseason injury is worth watching, but this one lands with a little more weight because of where it hits and when it happened. The Bears had enough to sort out already, and now they are hoping the latest update does not turn into a bigger problem. [Read more 🡒]