LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- As Caleb Williams kick-started the Chicago Bears' comeback late in the second quarter of their 29-27 win in the preseason finale at Kansas City, the 2024 first overall pick kept looking in the direction of the player drafted eight spots after him last year.
Once the Bears crossed into Chiefs territory, Williams launched back-to-back deep balls to Rome Odunze. The 23-year-old wide receiver caught the second one down the visitor's sideline at Arrowhead Stadium and gained 37 yards in the process.
Williams went back to Odunze on a third consecutive play to finish off a successful two-minute drill with a 3-yard touchdown pass. It put the Bears within striking distance of the Chiefs at halftime, helped Chicago's offense rebound after a sloppy start and showcased a connection that has been on display since late July.
In 27 plays with the first-team offense, Odunze was targeted a team-high five times and hauled in three catches for 45 yards and a touchdown. That came with a 33% target share for the former first-rounder, a byproduct of Williams' chemistry with arguably his favorite weapon.
Things have been trending this way throughout camp as Odunze's role in the Bears' offense continues to expand. After finishing third on the Bears in receiving (54 catches, 734 yards, 3 TDs) as a rookie, Odunze is well on his way to becoming Chicago's No. 1 receiver.
"It's a bigger role in our offense," Bears wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle El said. "As you understand the offense, we can put you in different spots. No question, prototypical [X-receiver, split out wide], but he's a guy that you can move around.
"I think he's going to have a big year."
As a rookie, Odunze's breakout moment came three weeks into his NFL career in a loss at Indianapolis. Williams targeted Odunze 11 times -- most of which occurred as the Bears trailed in the second half -- and Odunze caught Williams' first NFL touchdown pass. He finished that game with six receptions for 112 yards and a touchdown. Odunze would only cross the 100-yard receiving threshold one other time in 2024.
Part of that had to do with a crowded receivers room headlined by veterans DJ Moore and Keenan Allen. Odunze and Allen's (744 yards on 70 targets) receiving production was similar, and Odunze proved he didn't need perfect passes thrown his way to churn out production.
Thirty-seven percent of Odunze's 101 targets were off-target throws, which was the highest among 105 players with at least 60 targets last season. He still managed the sixth=most receiving yards by a rookie and established himself as Williams' top goal-line receiving threat (13 end-zone targets, 11th most in the NFL).
That's the place where Williams has targeted Odunze multiple times throughout the preseason, notably the very back of the end zone. On the drive before Chicago's first-half two-minute drill, Williams saw Chiefs safety Bryan Cook and thought he was going to fly past Odunze and that the receiver would come free behind him. Instead, Williams launched a pass into double coverage that was eventually broken up.
While Bears coach Ben Johnson has emphasized that area of the end zone needs to be "us or nobody," Williams liked his chances because it was Odunze.
"I was trusting the route and trusting the receiver and what I was seeing," Williams said. "Rome made a good play."
Catching passes that deep in the end zone was not something Odunze was used to prior to the NFL. It took time to build that rapport with Williams in that specific spot, something the two have routinely repped over the last six weeks.
"Honestly, I appreciate him putting it up there and giving it a shot," Odunze said of Williams' end zone throw in Kansas City. "I believe that it's going to be me or nobody. He has that reassurance that I'm not going to let the ball be in the enemy team's hands.
"Every look is different so it's hard to say exactly how it's going to go down but we have the chemistry to make it work."
Odunze's 6-foot-3, 214-pound frame makes him a go-to target on 50-50 balls. That's where the former Washington Huskies standout made his mark in college with 24 contested catches during his junior season in 2023, which was tied for the most in FBS. It's an element of his game that Williams has found easy to target.
"Just give him a chance," wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus said. "I've got confidence in him that he's going to go make a play."
For Odunze, it means setting bigger goals for himself to be Williams' top target.
"I'm just available for whatever comes with it, honestly," Odunze said. "I want to get the ball as early and as often as I can.
"As a wide receiver and a playmaker, I feel like I have the ability to make this offense move and have explosive plays. So you know, I want the ball on every play. But I play my role within the offense. Caleb's a great quarterback who's going to be versatile with his weapons, as well as Ben and the offensive staff to get the ball around. So of course I want to be that No. 1 guy for him and go kill it, be that duo, but we have a bunch of playmakers on the field that's going to do a good job this year."
After the Bears moved on from Allen this offseason, the combination of Odunze and Moore headlined Chicago's receivers room. The Bears then brought in Zaccheaus on a one-year deal and drafted Luther Burden III with the 39th pick.
That makes for a crowded room with a lot of mouths to feed. It also raises the question: What happens to Moore?
In short, nothing. The 29-year-old receiver who came to the Bears via a trade package for the No. 1 overall pick in 2023 has been Chicago's leading receiver in each of the last two seasons. Moore has lined up out wide 28 times and in the slot 13 times in two preseason games. He's still expected to be an impact player in the passing game as a player Johnson said he trusts to make plays.
What's new this year is his usage in the backfield, where Johnson has deployed Moore numerous times throughout training camp.
"We just want to continue to unlock that box and open up even more for him to be able to do that," Randle El said of Moore. "As you see that out there, that's just him being able to understand the offense. Another guy who's smart, can understand the plays. As long as he continues to understand it, which we believe he will, he'll have a much bigger role and continue to be that diverse guy for us."