Chicago Bears: Rome Odunze breaks silence on DJ Moore trade, becoming WR1

The Chicago Bears made some pretty significant changes to their roster this off-season. Some, like the sudden retirement of Drew Dalman, were out of immediate necessity. Others, such as the DJ Moore trade, were made not only to help improve the team in 2026, but also to set them up for success for years to come.

With Moore traded to the Buffalo Bills, Chicago suddenly was left with a plethora of young pass catchers who can grasp the opportunity to be a traditional “WR1.” While tight end Colston Loveland led the team in just about every receiving category last year, Rome Odunze is ready to be the top wide receiver on the team.

Rome Odunze is ready to be WR1 on the Chicago Bears

Odunze, the ninth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, had a solid rookie season, catching 54 passes for 734 yards and three touchdowns. In 2025, his second season in the league, he was limited to just 12 games due to injury, but was on a pace to far out-produce his rookie campaign numbers.

Last year, Odunze had 44 receptions for 661 yards and six touchdowns in those 12 games. In 2024, as a rookie, he was targeted 101 times in 17 games. Last year, he was targeted 90 times in 12.

Clearly, quarterback Caleb Williams feels comfortable with Odunze in the passing game, and with Moore gone, the third-year wide receiver could take a massive step forward.

And it is one that he is ready for. “Oh, I’m ready for it,” Odunze said, per ESPN. “I’m 100% confident in it.”

Of the Moore trade, Odunze told Cronin, “It was tough for sure. DJ’s my brother. He was a big mentor for me being here, and I’m happy he’s now with a great team, a contender that has awesome players as well. I’m excited to kind of fill that role that he was playing here and kind of absorb some of that void collectively.”

“Collectively” is going to be the key word. Chicago has a plethora of great young pass catchers, and they may be best suited spreading the love, as it were, offensively rather than force-feeding one specific target.

That being said, Odunze is adept at creating separation and is physical enough to go toe-to-toe with just about any defender in coverage. It will be no surprise if he emerges as a massive part of the offense this year.

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