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The Chicago Bears have had one of the most exciting offseasons in the NFL this year. Chicago traded Justin Fields to Pittsburgh and promptly replaced him with Caleb Williams out of USC. Williams joins a Bears squad that is loaded with offensive weapons, including a fellow first-round draft pick in Rome Odunze. One former Pro Bowl wide receiver recently heaped praise on Odunze.
On a recent episode of The Herd with Colin Cowherd, Houshmandzadeh made the bold claim that Larry Fitzgerald is the best pro comparison for Rome Odunze.
“I think he’s the BEST WR in the draft class,” Houshmandzadeh said. “He reminds me of Larry Fitzgerald but faster.”
Cowherd opened the conversation by mentioning praise that he's received from sources around the league.
“I got a text the other day from a former NFL quarterback,” Colin Cowherd said on the program, “and he said ‘you guys have no idea. [Odunze] will walk into the NFL [and] he will be Larry Fitzgerald.”
Cowherd couched his take by saying he doesn't believe that Odunze is as talented as LSU's Malik Nabers. However, he conceded that there are multiple variables that go into being successful in the NFL.
Houshmandzadeh cited multiple reasons why the Rome Odunze/Larry Fitzgerald comp is spot on.
“Rome is just that type of dude,” Houshmandzadeh said, “he's just gonna do the right thing all of the time. Not because he has to think about it, that's just who he is.”
Odunze joins DJ Moore and Keenan Allen at wide receiver for the Bears. Caleb Williams will be surrounded by weapons and poised for immediate success in 2024.
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Previewing the 2024 NFL season for the Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears have one of the more interesting schedules in the NFL this season.
Chicago will play all of their divisional rivals twice, as per usual. They will also face every team in the NFC West (Cardinals, 49ers, Rams, Seahawks) and AFC South (Colts, Jaguars, Texans, Titans). Finally, they will square off against other fourth-place finishers from the 2023 season. There are only one or two legitimately easy games on Chicago's schedule, so there will be little room for a learning curve for Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze.
The NFL is showing Chicago some love in terms of primetime and nationally-televised games. The Bears play in primetime three times in 2024:
- Week 2 – Sunday Night Football – at Houston Texans
- Week 15 – Monday Night Football – at Minnesota Vikings
- Week 17 – Thursday Night Football – vs. Seattle Seahawks
The Bears also play a handful of nationally-televised games outside of the primetime window. In Week 6 they will play the Jaguars in London. They will also travel to Detroit on Thanksgiving for a Week 13 matchup against the Lions.
Chicago's bye week falls on Week 7, which is slightly earlier than one would hope for.
The Bears are one of two teams who have a bizarre schedule quirk. Both the Bears and Steelers do not play any division games until Week 11 of the season. That means both teams will have to play all six of their divisional games in the final eight games of the regular season.
