Who Should I Start? Deebo Samuel Sr. or Rome Odunze

Tuesday, July 29, 3:08 PM

The Washington Commanders have been lining up wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. in various spots as they look to take advantage of his versatility, according to John Keim of ESPN. Not only has Samuel caught passes and run the ball, but the Commanders have paired him with running back Austin Ekeler on kickoff returns. Samuel was a big-time all-around weapon for the San Francisco 49ers earlier in his career, but they traded him to Washington in the offseason after his production went backward. Samuel caught 51 of 81 targets for 670 yards and three touchdowns in 15 games last year. As a runner, he totaled just 136 yards on 42 attempts and added another score. The 29-year-old still believes he has "a lot left in the tank," and he'll have a chance to show it as a key piece in a talented Commanders offense led by second-year quarterback Jayden Daniels.

Tuesday, July 29, 7:52 PM

Chicago Bears second-year wide receiver Rome Odunze has been the recipient of some of the offense's best plays so far in training camp, Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic writes, and his skill set will give new head coach Ben Johnson flexibility because of the way Odunze can win one-on-one matchups. "To me, he fits that prototypical 'X' receiver where you can line him up outside the numbers and, provided he gets a one-on-one with a corner, he's going to win most of his matchups, slant routes, stop routes, go routes, the whole route tree outside the numbers," Johnson said. The new head coach continues to praise the 23-year-old, which is why the Bears coaching staff is expecting a big Year 2 leap from Odunze. There will be stiff target competition in Chicago's offense, but with Keenan Allen now gone, Odunze should definitely have lots more upside as a WR3/flex in 2025.