LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze had not caught a touchdown in weeks, and his rookie season was coming to a close. This was not what the No. 9 overall selection in the 2024 draft had envisioned.

He had gone from a Washington team whose only loss in 2023 was in the CFP National Championship Game to a Bears team that lost 10 straight en route to a 5-12 finish.

"I always feel like I'm in it for the long run," Odunze told ESPN. "I realized my first year, regardless of if I was a rookie, All-Pro or I was portrayed as a bust, I'm going to keep my head high and steady through it."

As a rookie, Odunze finished third on the Bears in targets (101), receptions (54), receiving yards (734) and touchdowns in a crowded receivers room. When the Bears let Keenan Allen w

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