'I'm ready for it': After DJ Moore's exit, Rome Od...

playRome 'Bob Ross' Odunze paints Bears' 2026 schedule (2:21) CHICAGO -- On Dec. 14, Necia Bunnell felt her phone buzz moments before kickoff at Soldier Field. Her heart sank when she saw who was calling, as her motherly intuition was kicking in. "As a mom, you want to fix everything for your kids," she said. On the other line was Chicago Bears receiver Rome Odunze ringing his mother on this frigid Sunday. The 23-year-old receiver, who dealt with a persistent stress fracture in his foot since before the midway point of the season and was set to return after a one-game absence, aggravated his injury at the end of pregame warmups so significantly that he was scratched from the lineup. Before the ripple effect cascaded through the NFL world, he was giving his mom the heads-up that she wouldn't see him on the field that day -- a 31-3 rout of the Cleveland Browns. "He was devastated," Bunnell said. "I could hear it in his voice." Shortly thereafter, Odunze learned that the Bears were shutting him down for the rest of the regular season. His sophomore campaign in Chicago, which included just four catches for 88 yards when he returned for the Bears' two playoff games, fell way short of expectations. He masked his disappointment with the same fervor he displayed while punching a hole through the ceiling of the visitors locker room after the Bears beat the Eagles two weeks prior. While Odunze celebrated the plays his teammates made while he was sidelined, he learned an important lesson in patience and navigating the ebbs and flows of emotions that spark doubt. "Your career is going to invite those moments of adversity," Odunze told ESPN. "That's the moment that I was in, and I embraced that. I know I'm better for it to be able to go through something like that and have the season that I did that brought me to that sort of disappointment. I feel like there's those moments can tell you who you are and where you're going to go from there." The destination Odunze believes is within his reach is a trip straight to the top of the Bears' depth chart. His foot has healed and he has put in the work this offseason to make sure an injury of that magnitude doesn't again hold him back. Though DJ Moore's departure this offseason creates a void in leadership and on-field production, Odunze sees a prime opportunity to grab hold of the WR1 role he has been expected to fill since being drafted ninth in 2024. "Oh, I'm ready for it," Odunze said. "I'm 100% confident in it." The 2025 season reinforced the type of patience that Odunze has encountered throughout his life, whether via his own terms or while having to navigate circumstances out of his control. It's a trait that helped him master a headstand at 3 years old and perfect the lines of his sketches in art class, a skill that later made him the perfect person to emulate artist Bob Ross in the Bears' schedule release video. It helped him overcome a broken collarbone that cost him nearly his entire sophomore season in high school and deal with the discontent of falling short of his own aspirations during his second season in the NFL. Now, it's a big part of what will fuel Odunze to be the playmaker the Bears can rely on in 2026. Courtesy of Chicago BearsWHEN THE BEARS drafted Odunze, eight selections after securing quarterback Caleb Williams with the No. 1 pick, they were not only bringing in college football's leading receiver (1,640 yards for national champion runner-up Washington) but the most dominant wideout on 50-50 balls. Odunze's 24 contested catches during his final season with the Huskies in 2023 were tied for the most in the FBS. Dropped passes were never part of his makeup in college, which is why the receiver was so critical of himself as missed opportunities became as magnified as the plays he made. According to ESPN's tracking, Odunze's three drops were tied for the team lead with rookies Kyle Monangai and Luther Burden III and tied for 54th in the NFL with 38 others. After a strong start over the first month of the season, Odunze's momentum slowed following Chicago's Week 5 bye. He managed one 100-yard performance -- Week 8 in Baltimore -- which coincides with when he developed his foot injury. As players returned to Halas Hall for the offseason program, coaches took to reminding Odunze about the type of receiver they expect him to be. "You go back and you pull [the contested catches he made in college] from that film, match it up with the plays he has made in the NFL as it relates to those 50-50 balls or what have you," Bears wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle El said. "The one thing you get is like, all right, the confidence is restored. Now let's go do it from that standpoint. So it's just about showing him. That's what we've done, and we fully expect him to go out and make those plays." play0:28What's next for Bears after no bill passed to keep team in Illinois?The Bears' own metrics for drops reveal that they accounted for 43 in 2025. From R

'I'm ready for it': After DJ Moore's exit, Rome Od...

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