Second-year receiver Rome Odunze has had it with the inordinate criticism handed out to Caleb Williams, his quarterback and fellow 2024 first-round pick with the Chicago Bears, on social media.
During an appearance on the “St. Brown Podcast” with Detroit Lions receiver Amon-Ra and former Bears receiver Equanimeous, Odunze was prompted by Amon-Ra to talk about the seemingly constant chatter about Williams, last year’s No. 1 overall pick.
“No matter what he does, good or bad, it’s all on Twitter,” the
Lions star said. “I swear, he can’t breathe. … If he takes one step wrong, it’s ‘Caleb did this, this, this.’ They just can’t let him be.”
Odunze emphatically—and colorfully—agreed.
“It’s crazy,” he remarked. “Like, you see other players—and we watch the film and ****—and you can really see who’s out here really bull*******. When it comes to ‘C. Will,’ I don’t know what it was. The media asked me the same thing…I was like, ‘I don’t know. You tell me. Y’all the ones out here creating all the stories.’
“It doesn’t even come down to ‘just keep it football,’ because all the football stuff they talk about is false, too. I don’t know, he just gets all the flak. No. 1 pick in Chicago gets the treatment.”
On one hand, some of the Williams discourse simply comes with the territory of being, as Odunze mentioned, a former No. 1 pick in the draft, former Heisman Trophy winner, a player who’s been dubbed a “generational” talent at QB, and an outsized personality.
But it’s still fair to ask when the incessant microanalysis of everything he says or does, every facial expression he makes, or what color nail polish or phone case he’s rocking on a given day has completely lost the thread.
It’s also more worth pointing out that, despite the Bears winning just five games last year, Williams was far from the problem. In fact, throwing for 3,541 yards, 20 touchdowns and just six interceptions with the level of organizational dysfunction around him is honestly a win more than anything.
Of course, the target is squarely on Williams’ back once more with an improved offensive supporting cast around him, which includes the addition of offensive guru Ben Johnson as his head coach. So he’ll be expected to make a major leap in 2025. And inevitably, if Williams has a game where he throws for 400 yards, five touchdowns and one pick, some people will only focus on the missteps.
But make no mistake about it: his teammates, Odunze among them, have his back.
