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The on-field connection between the Nos. 1 and 9 overall picks has grown over the first nine weeks of the season. Odunze became the Bears' first pass catcher since Willie Gault in 1983 to record multiple 100-yard receptions as a rookie.
Odunze knows he won't always be Williams' main target due to the abundance of playmakers on offense DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, Cole Kmet And D'Andre Swift available, but the Washington product is always willing to step up when called upon.
“We are in a good situation,” said Odunze. “He has a lot of talented receivers in the room, so he wants to distribute the ball to all of us and make plays for us. I'm a part of it, so I just try to be available as often as possible for him to make plays.
“We showed that in the last game, but it's something that continues to evolve – something that I think future games and future years will be great.”
In recent weeks, Odunze felt that the partnership between him and Williams was becoming even stronger. Admittedly, the receiver “had a little bit of trouble seeing the ball” in the first few weeks of the season. Instead of becoming frustrated by the NFL learning curve, he and Williams leaned on each other to improve.
“We went out and caught passes after practice and then did some individual stuff, just me and him,” Odunze shared. “Just building that connection and trust with each other, which was really important for us. From that point on, we continued to build our relationship on the field. There's an unspoken bond because we're both rookies and we're both going to be drafted top 10 and when I came into this organization I wanted to be great and have a big impact on it.”
Odunze believes his unique relationship with Williams will continue to help the Bears' offense progress this season. While those 100-yard performances are meaningful in their own right, the Washington product is more focused on turning that success into wins.
“I think it's going to be crucial, just my relationship and the wide receivers' relationship with Caleb as a whole,” Odunze said. “We have to be an important factor in the success of this team in the future. 100-yard games are great, but I'd rather have 75, 75, 75 for all of us in the wide receiver room with a few touchdowns and a win.
“These things need to evolve, but I think the relationship between me and Caleb definitely plays an important role in that. So just continuing to be there for him, doing my best in my job and hopefully achieving that individual success will bring success to the team.”
