Matt Eberflus reveals who's been the most impressive player during minicamp and it shouldn't come as a surprise
The Chicago Bears have plenty of stars throughout the roster and seeing everyone take the field during mandatory minicamp this week shows how far along the roster really is heading into next season.During the week of practice at Halas Hall, the story of minicamp was once again the high flying defense talking their talk against […]
The Chicago Bears have plenty of stars throughout the roster and seeing everyone take the field during mandatory minicamp this week shows how far along the roster really is heading into next season.
During the week of practice at Halas Hall, the story of minicamp was once again the high flying defense talking their talk against the offense still learning their new system.
Quarterback Caleb Williams' progression was another main storyline of the week, but head coach Matt Eberflus revealed that another rookie on the roster has impressed him more than anyone else on the team during minicamp.
"I would say Rome [Odunze]. Rome really impressed us in terms of his ability to grab concepts and really execute out there," Eberflus explained following Thursday's practice. "But again, there's a lot of guys that impressed us."
The Bears first round rookie wide receiver turned many heads on both sides of the ball and on the sideline during mandatory minicamp. The most impressive thing is how fast he's grasped the new system and being able to line up at different positions, including on special teams as a punt returner.
The biggest difference this week for Odunze during minicamp was having veteran wide receiver Keenan Allen on the field with him for the first time since before he was drafted by the Bears. Allen, more than anybody, has been impressed with how quick Odunze's development has been on the field.
"Rome looks great. He's the guy who stepped in and he's been with the [first-team] right off the bat," Allen said. "He's running around pretty good with his routes. He knows what he's doing, his responsibilities, and that's huge. First coming in, we haven't even got to training camp, and he already knows where to go, where to line up, where to be at, so that's huge."
Just like his quarterback, Odunze has primarily been lining up with the first-team offense against the first team defense than finished as a top ranked unit last season, which is somewhat rare for a rookie this early in the year. That includes lining up against Pro Bowl cornerback Jaylon Johnson, who dominated top caliber wide receivers in coverage during the 2023 season. Even he came away impressed from what he saw from the rookie since arriving in Chicago.
"I would say his contested catch is pretty good," Johnson said. "Just showing flashes of him making plays in the air, when the ball is in the air him going and getting it and making the tough catches, I feel like that’s something he’s going to bring and add a lot of value to our team. Really watching his game, I feel like he’s truly a gamer. When the lights come on and it’s time to go, he’s going to make a play."
Another member of the starting defense that was able to face Odunze in practice already had some familiarity with the rising star and knew what to expect.
"I love Rome. I played two years with him [at Washington]," cornerback Kyler Gordon explained. "I’ve seen him do amazing things. He’s young and growing. I’ve seen him do amazing things… He’s long, lanky, got some speed in him. He's just grown so much."
Seeing the Bears two rookies impress so soon in their career is great for the team heading into training camp. It truly feels like Odunze and Williams are going to be something special and a nightmare for opposing teams to face for years to come.
Caleb Williams describes the biggest challenge he’s faced learning the new offense during minicamp
He’s had a lot of learning moments.
