The Chicago Bears kicked off rookie minicamp on Friday, where all eyes were on their pair of top-10 picks — quarterback Caleb Williams and wide receiver Rome Odunze.
While it’s impossible to truly evaluate players during unpadded practices in May, it provided the Chicago media with a first glimpse at this highly-touted rookie duo.
According to NBC Sports Chicago’s Josh Schrock, Williams and Odunze shined during their first official practice together as they build their timing and chemistry.
Schrock detailed his observations of Williams and Odunze during Friday’s workout, where everything seemed to go the duo’s way — even when things weren’t perfect.
Williams and Odunze looked the part Friday at Halas Hall. Williams was on time and accurate with almost every pass during the 7-on-7 portion of the day. That included eight completions to Odunze, who moved all around the field during Day 1 of rookie minicamp.
Even the reps that weren’t flawless worked out in the new duo’s favor.
At one point during the 7-on-7 period, Odunze got jammed getting out of his break, which forced Williams to roll out of the pocket and buy time before hitting him along the sideline for a gain of 18-20 yards. It was the type of off-script playmaking from Williams and ad-libbing from Odunze that the Bears hope to see on Sundays, even if it’s not supposed to be featured in 7-on-7 work.
The two Bears rookies briefly chatted after the rep about the route and timing before returning to a solid day of consistently accurate work for Williams.
Williams and Odunze have been working on building their chemistry since they were drafted — heck, even before they were officially teammates. But Friday’s practice marked the first of two important workouts as the pair continue to grow together in this offense.
“There’s definitely things you can build within a me-and-him relationship,” Odunze told reporters before Friday’s practice. “But when considering the offense as a whole is installation and bits and pieces you’re learning together and communicating on together. As a wide receiver and a quarterback, of course, we can go out and build chemistry on timing. He can see where he wants to throw the ball depending on my speed of route and different things that I’m doing out there. When it comes to installation of the offense, that’s why we’re here today.”
