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Does Chicago Bears' Caleb Williams Trust Receiver Rome Odunze? Clutch Connection Growing

After a strong game against the Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams is regaining his footing. A connection with fellow rookie Rome Odunze off the field, has begun to help the two young players on the field.

Kyron Samuels

Nov 17, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) warms up before the game against the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images
Nov 17, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) warms up before the game against the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images / Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images
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Former USC Trojans and current Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams and wide receiver Rome Odunze have been tasked with helping to rest or honor one of the most storied franchises in professional football history. In the 2024 NFL Draft, Williams was selected first overall and Odunze ninth overall. The progress hasn’t been linear, but the lights are starting to turn on for the dynamic rookie duo. 

The Chicago Bears are in the midst of a four-game losing streak, including two spirit-crushing losses in the game's waning moments. Williams and Odunze’s connection has begun to heat up through that adversity. Two of Odunze’s highest target games have been in the last three weeks, and he’s also taken over the Bears’ lead in receiving yards despite having 13 fewer targets and receptions than first-place DJ Moore. Williams has noted that their connection off the field is now seeping into the field of play. 

“Hanging out, playing video games, communicating, coming in at the same time and learning all of this together and helping each other throughout this time; being able to have all of those little moments, when those big moments happen, you have an idea and trust and belief that you’re on the same page. Right then and there, it showed up.” said Williams. 

No other play illustrates trust and belief in one another like the 4th and three conversion with 1:33 left in the clock to keep the game within reach. On a play where they only needed three yards to keep the game alive, Williams was confident enough to rip a high-difficulty back-shoulder throw to Odunze down the field. It was such a stunning play that even the universally recognized greatest quarterback of all time, Tom Brady, who is now a FOX NFL analyst, was left screaming with excitement.

“We didn’t re-invent the wheel for those three or four days that Thomas became the offensive coordinator.” Williams said in response to the notion that the offense may have been simplified for him under new offensive coordinator Thomas Brown.

While Williams brushed off the idea that anything was simplified with Brown, he made a point to highlight the benefits of Brown getting the calls in faster. For young players especially, being able to get the call in, relay it to your teammates, get set, and adjust properly is integral to early success. The game itself is fast enough, having to scramble and be under constant pressure before the play even starts makes the post-snap difficult that much harder. 

Even in defeat, the Packers game was a great building block for Williams and the offense, but the young signal-caller knows it’s time to move on to the next game. 

“I wouldn’t say it did anything for me mentally. I think after the third game, I realized I can play, and I feel good playing. I’ve said multiple times that regardless of the interceptions at the beginning of the season, I felt like I was seeing the field well. That still stands today. There will be rough times and patches over the long, healthy career that I’ll hopefully have, and those won’t change my mindset, nor will they change it now.” said Caleb Williams how the Packers game affected his mental state. 

What’s next? The 8-2 Minnesota Vikings and the fourth-best scoring defense in the NFL, led by defensive coordinator Brian Flores. 

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Kyron Samuels
KYRON SAMUELS

Kyron Samuels is a former college and professional football player now a writer, analyst, & digital host. Kyron is a writer for USC Trojans on SI and contributes to Oregon Ducks on SI. A graduate and letterman at Jacksonville State University, Samuels was a three-year starter, two-time all-conference, and won three consecutive conference titles. After a four-year professional stint between the AFL & XFL, Samuels retired from football. In 2022, Samuels was inducted into the Fairhope Athletic Hall of Fame. Post-playing career, Samuels has become a credentialed sports media member covering the NFL, UFL, USFL, & college football. The NFL Combine, Reese’s Senior Bowl, & East-West Shrine Bowl are amongst the events Kyron has covered. As a guest and host, Samuels has been featured on ESPNRadio, FoxSportsRadio, & IHeartRadio. Outside of sports media, Samuels works as a scouting consultant and has experience coaching at the collegiate level.

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