The Bears traded DJ Moore to Buffalo. Rome Odunze says he's '100 percent' ready to be WR1.
Moore texted Odunze before the news broke. Now the third-year receiver inherits the No. 1 role in Ben Johnson's offense, coming off a season a foot stress fracture nearly wiped out.
The Bears traded DJ Moore to the Bills for a 2026 second-round pick, and the receiver room now belongs to Rome Odunze. The third-year wideout, who learned of the trade via text from Moore himself, isn't flinching at the promotion: 'Oh, I'm ready for it. I'm 100 percent confident in it.'
What was the trade?
Chicago sent DJ Moore to Buffalo for a 2026 second-round pick. Moore had been the Bears' established WR1 and a mentor to Odunze, who found out the way teammates often do now: a text from Moore shortly before it went public. 'It was tough for sure. DJ's my brother,' Odunze said, while adding that he's happy Moore landed with a contender and that he's 'excited to fill that role.'
Is Odunze ready for WR1 duty?
He says so without hedging. 'Oh, I'm ready for it. I'm 100 percent confident in it.' The caveat is health: Odunze played through a foot stress fracture for much of 2025, was shut down in Week 15, and managed just four catches for 88 yards across two playoff games. He also had three drops, tied for the team lead among rookies. The talent that made him the ninth overall pick in 2024 is real; a clean bill of health is what the WR1 leap requires.
Who else is in the receiver room?
Veterans brought in to support the transition. Chicago signed Kalif Raymond and Scotty Miller in free agency. Raymond previously played under current Bears coaches Ben Johnson and Antwaan Randle El in Detroit, which gives him a head start on the scheme, and Miller is a Super Bowl winner from his Tampa Bay days. Neither is a No. 1, but they round out a room that now runs through Odunze.
What's the Caleb Williams connection?
They're tied together as the future of the offense. The Bears took Williams first overall in 2024 and Odunze ninth, eight picks later, building the passing game around the pairing from the start. With Moore gone, that original vision comes fully into focus: Williams in year three of Ben Johnson's offense, Odunze as his top target. The success of Chicago's 2026 leap rests heavily on whether the two draft classmates can carry the room together.
Players in this story
Sources
- ESPN: After DJ Moore's exit, Rome Odunze 'ready' to be Bears' WR1
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