When Ben Johnson held court in his introductory press conference at Halas Hall last month, it was his direct address to Caleb Williams that stood out: “I’m excited to work with you, but it’s gonna take more than just you.”
“There are a lot of pieces already in place,” Johnson continued. “And I can’t wait to get to work with the rest of you guys.”
Enter DJ Moore and Rome Odunze: Williams’ top targets heading into 2025.
One year removed from a career-high in yards, Moore failed to eclipse 1,000 yards receiving for just the third time in his seven-year career. Odunze, who the Bears selected No. 9 overall last year, caught 54 passes in his rookie season but fell short of expectations and paled in comparison to other rookie receivers from last year’s stacked first round.
A new coach means a fresh start, and a fresh start means a chance for a rebound in 2025.
Catching up with the CHGO Bears crew on Radio Row, donning bright green jackets for their sponsor, Bounty (you know, the quicker picker upper), Moore and Odunze dished on their first impressions of the new staff, what went wrong in 2024, and how they intend to fix things going forward.
On Ben Johnson and the staff:
Excited for the Bears’ head coaching hire? You’re not alone. Moore said: “I’m very excited. You’ve seen what he did in Detroit—all the plays, the little trick plays. Just the offense working in general. It’s going to be amazing. I haven’t really had the time to talk to him outside of the press conference day, but it’s all been good.”
When asked about the “power-slot” role occupied by Amon-Ra St. Brown in Detroit, who tallied 3,939 yards and 28 touchdowns in three seasons under Johnson’s playcalling, Moore cautioned that the offense wouldn’t look identical to the Lions of the last three years:
“That’s a difficult role. We just gotta see because, like Ben said, the playbook [isn’t going to] be the same. So we don’t know who gonna be doin’ what.”
Johnson made that much clear in his presser, telling reporters to expect something tailored to his players in Chicago: “This is not simply a dropping of a previous playbook down on the table and starting there,” the head coach said. “Nope, we’re ripping this thing down to the studs, and we’re going to build it out with him first and foremost and then with the pieces around him next.”
As for Odunze, the 22-year-old told CHGO, “[Johnson] carries himself with a confidence and a determination that I think you can kind of feel. … His concise statements, I think that’s something that brings confidence to the organization as a whole, so being able to be there for that presser, feeling that energy was huge.”
After all, several players, including Moore, voiced strong opinions throughout last season that they wanted to be coached harder. The staff’s unwillingness to do so ultimately led to the firing of offensive coordinator Shane Waldron and the eventual demise of head coach Matt Eberflus.
That begins with wide receivers coach and assistant head coach Antwaan Randle El, who spent nine years in the NFL playing the position and has coached the group in Detroit since 2021. Moore said he’d already connected with the coach and liked what he’d heard:
“I’m very excited. I got a chance to talk to him on the phone this past week. He’s looking to work us and push us hard. So, I’m up for that challenge, I know Rome will be, the whole room will be, so they got some good coaches coming in, and he’s one of ‘em that’s done it at a high level in the Super Bowl, threw a pass in the Super Bowl, touchdown. So, I’m looking forward to it.”
Sound familiar? Johnson shared a similar message during his presser: “I do have a message here for the players: Get comfortable being uncomfortable. The bar has been set higher than it’s ever been set before. The only way for this team, and for you as individual players, to reach your potential is to be pushed and to be challenged, and that’s exactly what I and my staff plan on doing. We’re gonna push. We’re gonna challenge.”
On last year’s failures and moving forward:
Despite finishing 5-12 with a ten-game skid snapped during the final week of the season in Green Bay, it wasn’t all bad for Chicago.
Odunze shared a commendable perspective on his rookie season on Wednesday: “I think what I liked most was the experience as a whole. You only get to be a rookie once, so navigating the league, being able to have that experience, go through it all was something I’m super grateful for. The ups and the downs, the ebbs and the flows were all part of it.”
As for how Odunze can avoid a sophomore slump, Moore told us that it comes down to the preparation. “Just understanding NFL defenses. I think that second year, I started getting a lot more zone coverages and being able to sit in the zones, and then run after the catch – that was the biggest thing.”
Odunze noted how the win in Green Bay in Week 18 can lay important groundwork in the locker room for next season, too. “We kind of started off hot, and then there were the ebbs and the flows of the season, but we ended off on a good note, beating the Packers at their spot,” said the former Washington Huskie. “That’s the confidence and playstyle we have to continue into next season. The new staff coming in definitely understands that, and the players—everybody who’s going to be in the locker room next year—will have to understand that, too.”
However, despite last year being Odunze’s first taste of the NFL, it was hardly Moore’s first disastrous rodeo.
The receiver highlighted his rookie campaign when the Carolina Panthers began the season 6-2 before dropping seven consecutive games. “Having two seasons like that is hard, but it builds your mental strength at the end of the day to know what’s coming,” said Moore. “Right now, I feel like we’re in a good spot to be going forward next year.”
He later noted how the perception of his body language painted him in a poor light, saying, “The whole year was just my body language, facial expressions, I was just having fun with it. At points in the season where it was like, this is getting to a serious point where people are really hatin’ me over this, I didn’t really care, but that’s not who I am.”
Why didn’t the harsh reactions to his body language bother him? Moore said: “I’m playing this game to the fullest to win, and however the reaction is is the reaction. … It’s all within the reaction of everything. The fans and the media got as much put into it as we do.”
Check out the full interview for Odunze’s thoughts on his first winter in Chicago and how he envisions himself as a locker room leader in the future.
