Bears' Rome Odunze has lofty goal for rookie season, at expense of former teammate

With Caleb Williams throwing him the football, Rome Odunze could be putting up record-setting numbers as a rookie wide receiver for the Chicago Bears. Although no NFL franchise is worse historically at slinging the pigskin, the former Washington standout has the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner throwing him the football. Of course, Odunze has other motivating factors for him this year.

After seeing what his former Washington teammate Puka Nacua did during his rookie year last season with the Los Angeles Rams, Odunze is going to try to break his rookie season receiving records. Nacua had 105 receptions for 1,486 yards last season to go along with his six touchdown grabs. After spending two seasons at Washington, Nacua transferred to go play for BYU in 2021.

While discussing his goals as a rookie, Odunze has put Nacua's rookie records within his sight.

" I went to school with Puka Nacua ... I'm absolutely chasing that [rookie record]."

Nacua benefitted a ton as a rookie by catching passes from an elite quarterback in Matthew Stafford.

With so much up in the air regarding the Bears, who good can this team be with Odunze and Williams?

Rome Odunze has incredibly lofty receiving goals as an NFL rookie

For as excited as we should be about Odunze wanting to break Nacua's rookie receptions and receiving yards record, keep in mind these three things. One, the Bears have a brutal history throwing the football. They have never had a 4,000-yard passer at any point of their franchise's history. That is probably going to change at some point, but the numbers are not in Odunze's favor in other ways.

A second factor that could make it hard for Odunze to attempt breaking Nacua's records are that he will be in the same receiving room as D.J. Moore and newcomer Keenan Allen. This is one of the best receiving corps in football. Moore has been one of the game's most underrated receivers for quite some time. As for Allen, he was as steady as they come while playing for the Los Angeles Chargers.

Lastly, the other big factor would have to be Williams. He has all the arm talent in the world, but you have to wonder if he has the right mental makeup to tap into all of that all-time talent he possesses. Even if he does, it may take a few years. Unfortunately for Odunze, he only gets one shot at attempting to break Nacua's rookie receiving records. Odunze could do it, but he will be up against it.

For now, we can sit back and enjoy the Bears having one of the better offenses in the entire league.