Bear Digest

Chicago Has Quickly Become Where Wide Receivers Go to Thrive

Rankings for wide receivers by Pro Football Focus show something startling about the Chicago Bears based on past struggles with this position.

Gene Chamberlain

Rome Odunze makes a catch under Matt Eberflus' watchful eye at rookie camp.
Rome Odunze makes a catch under Matt Eberflus' watchful eye at rookie camp. / David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
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The main reason projections for Caleb Williams run higher than for many other first-round quarterbacks is his surrounding cast.

The Bears had considered a surrounding cast for a quarterback for years as a running back, a wide receiver and a tight end.

This past offseason GM Ryan Poles expanded their horizons and brought multiple targets to the position capable of damaging most defenses. Now Muhsin Muhammad's claim that Chicago is where wide receivers go to die is outdated.

Pro Football Focus' ranking of Caleb Williams in the top 20 QBs as a rookie who hasn't thrown a pass is based on having so many weapons, possibly the best wide receiver corps for a No. 1 pick overall ever.

PFF's wide receiver rankings reflect this. The Bears do not have a top 10 receiver. However, they have something no one else has. They have three receivers ranked in the top 30.

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DJ Moore is ranked No. 12, Keenan Allen No. 22 and rookie Rome Odunze No. 29 without playing a snap.

The Dolphins, Eagles, 49ers, Rams and Texans all have two receivers in the top 30.

This includes wide receivers only, not tight ends.

Justin Jefferson, who has been reported as being away from Vikings OTAs, is rated No. 1.

Green Bay has no top-30 wide receivers.

Moore is ranked one spot behind Stefon Diggs and definitely should be considered for Pro Bowl status going forward. The article on the rankings by PFF stalwart Sam Monson points out how Moore might have been even better last year than 1,364 yards.

"Justin Fields was not seeing the game well at all early in the year, and despite that, DJ Moore was still able to rack up 1,364 yards at 2.31 yards per route run."

Monston points out how Allen, who will be 32 this season, still had 1,243 yards and missed four games last year.

Odunze is the third and last wide receiver from this draft class to be ranked in the top 32 and Monson said he'd have been the top receiver of the draft in any other year, but Marvin Harrison Jr. (ranked 21st) and Malik Nabers (25th) pushed him to third taken.

"Odunze brings an athletic profile to the table that can dominate NFL-level athletes and is especially good at winning contested catches," Monson wrote.

Indeed, PFF's predraft assessment had pointed out Odunze won on 21 of his 28 contested catch attempts last year.

It's the reason why after the draft Odunze descibed his 50-50 ball ability as 75-25.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.