The Bears have not been known as an explosive passing team for the majority of their existence and their career record for receiving yards reflects that lack of firepower.
Johnny Morris last played for the team in 1967 and his 5,059 yards still rank at the top of the list in franchise history. That news came as a surprise to the newest member of the team’s receiving corps on Friday.
First-round pick Rome Odunze guessed that Brandon Marshall held the record during an appearance on 670 The Score and was told it was Morris and the amount, which led him to set one of his first goals since entering the professional ranks.
“Hey man, well, I’ll hope I’ll go break that record and add a few thousand to that,” Odunze said. “We’ll go get after it. I think we’ve got some offensive power to do some big things over here. Five thousand is the goal then — let’s get after it.”
Odunze is joining a receiver group that also includes DJ Moore and Keenan Allen, so there should not be much reason for fellow first-rounder Caleb Williams to flood him with targets right out of the gate. If all develops as planned in Chicago, though, Odunze should make a serious run at Morris’s milestone before his rookie deal is over.
