Bears' Rome Odunze 'Absolutely Chasing' Puka Nacua's NFL Rookie Receiving Record | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors
James Holden If Rome Odunze has his way, Puka Nacua's NFL records for receptions and receiving yards by a rookie will only last one season.
The Chicago Bears wide receiver said on Wednesday he is "absolutely chasing" the records set by his former Washington teammate in 2023.
NFL @NFLRome is going for it all entering Year 1 👀 <a href="">
Odunze and Nacua were teammates on the Huskies for the 2020 season before Nacua transferred to BYU in March 2021.
Nacua came out of nowhere to have one of the best debut seasons in league history. He was an unheralded fifth-round pick by the Los Angeles Rams who may not have even been in the starting lineup to begin the season if Cooper Kupp had been available to play.
The Rams' official depth chart for Week 1 listed Nacua as the backup to Tutu Atwell, even though Kupp was inactive due to a hamstring injury.
Nacua wasted no time making an impact by setting the rookie single-game record for receptions with 15 in Week 2 and an overall league record with 25 catches through his first two career games.
The 23-year-old finished the season with 105 receptions and 1,486 receiving yards, both rookie records. The previous record for receptions belonged to Jaylen Waddle of the Miami Dolphins (104 in 2021) and the receiving yards mark was held by Bill Groman of the Houston Oilers (1,473 in 1960).
Odunze has his work cut for him to hit either or both benchmarks this season. Even though Caleb Williams' upside is tremendous, it's still unclear what he will look like as a rookie. Nacua had the benefit of playing in a pass-happy offense with head coach Sean McVay and quarterback Matthew Stafford.
Nacua also immediately emerged as the go-to player for the Rams offense. Kupp was the only other player on the team with more than 70 targets, and he only appeared in 12 games.
The Bears did bring in Shane Waldron as their offensive coordinator, but head coach Matt Eberflus comes from a defensive background and may not look to air it out.
Chicago also has a crowded receiver room with Odunze, D.J. Moore and Keenan Allen all capable of putting up big numbers. Cole Kmet is also a very good receiving tight end who set career-highs with 73 receptions and 719 yards last season.
Odunze, the No. 9 pick in the 2024 NFL draft, will no doubt be counted on to play a big role for the Bears this season. But they have built-in high-quality depth at receiver and tight end to make sure he doesn't have to be the primary target for Williams right out of the gate.