Latest news with #OlamideZaccheaus
Forbes
31-03-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Zaccheaus Looks Like A Good Fit For Ben Johnson And The Bears
LANDOVER, MARYLAND - DECEMBER 29: Wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus #14 of the Washington Commanders ... More runs down the filed during the second half of an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons at Northwest Stadium on December 29, 2024 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by) Olamide Zaccheaus seemed like an afterthought when he was signed after the Bears focused on upgrading. But the under-sized wide receiver represents the biggest value in Ryan Poles' free-agent class. Zaccheaus was signed away from the Washington Commanders, who had traded for San Francisco's Deebo Samuel. He took a one-year, $1.5 million deal for the chance to play behind Caleb Williams in his latest attempt to establish himself as a reliable weapon. Trying to make Willams' rookie season as successful as possible, the Bears had acquired six-time Pro Bowler Keenan Allen last season. He was being paid $23.1 million in the final season of a four-year extension with the Chargers, and caught 70 passes for 744 yards and seven touchdowns. While Allen remains unsigned as a free agent, Poles pounced on the 27-year-old Zaccheaus to serve as the third wide receiver in Ben Johnson's first season as head coach. Rome Odunze, who caught 54 passes for 734 yards and three touchdowns as a rookie, is expected to move into the No. 2 receiver role behind D.J. Moore. There was very little chance Allen would receive a significant contract to return to Chicago. Moore's salary cap hit is jumping from $7.2 million to $24.9 million in the second season of his four-year, $110 million deal. The Bears spent $35.9 million on the receiver position in 2024, the third largest in the NFL, behind only the Seahawks and Rams. They are at $36.86 million this year, according to Spotrac, which ranks seventh. Odunze, selected ninth overall in the '24 draft, carries a cap hit of $5.16 million in the second year of a four-year, $22.7 million rookie contract. He and Moore will make it difficult for Zaccheaus to emerge as more than a complementary player but he could play well to earn an extension to remain in Chicago beyond 2025. Defensive tackle Andrew Billings did that after signing a one-year deal to join the Bears in 2023. Zaccheaus has never had more than a one-year guarantee after going un-drafted in 2019. While being used as something of a hybrid receiver-running back, he led the ACC with 93 catches for 1058 yards and nine touchdowns as a senior at Virginia, including three touchdown catches in the Belk Bowl, his final game. He wasn't invited to the NFL Combine but ran a 4.49 40-yard dash at Virginia's Pro Day, which would have ranked 18th among receivers at the Combine. Scouts weren't sold on Zaccheaus due to the unorthodox use of his hands – often catching the back of the ball – and his lack of height. Analyst Lance Zierlein wrote that while he's an 'explosive slot target' his 'pass-catching technique is gross.' He was mostly a practice squad player as a rookie in Atlanta, catching only three passes (but turning one into a 93-yard touchdown). He raised his total of receptions in each of the next three seasons before being targeted only 20 times in 2033, after he'd moved to Philadelphia. Zaccheaus ranked third among Jayden Daniels' targets last year, behind Terry McLaurin and tight end Zach Ertz. He set career highs in both catches (45) and targets (64), with an average reception of 11.2 yards. Advanced stats recorded him with five drops on 56 catchable passes, putting him in the same range as Allen (6 of 84) and Odunze (6 of 64). Johnson was known for moving receivers all over the field and sometimes lining them up in the backfield while constructing Detroit's high-powered offense. Zaccheaus seems likely to be used mostly in the slot, with Moore and Odunze split outside. Even with Zaccheaus on the roster, the Bears may use one of their seven draft picks on a wide receiver. Tyler Scott, a fourth-round pick in 2023, caught only one pass last season and will be challenged to hang onto his spot in training camp. The Bears recently signed free agent receiver Devin Duvernay, who had 49 catches for Baltimore in 2022, but his appeal is mostly as a kick returner. Duvernay has caught only 15 passes the last two seasons. This looks like the best opportunity of Zaccheaus' career. Give him credit for seeing the potential.
USA Today
30-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Grading the Bears' signings of Olamide Zaccheaus and Devin Duvernay
Grading the Bears' signings of Olamide Zaccheaus and Devin Duvernay It's been a few weeks since free agency opened in the NFL, and the Chicago Bears pounced early with their big signings of center Drew Dalman, defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, and defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo in the first couple of days. Since then, the Bears made a couple of smaller signings, primarily at the wide receiver position. The Bears signed former Washington Commanders receiver Olamide Zaccheaus and former Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Devin Duvernay to one-year contracts. Both veterans will fill roles behind DJ Moore and Rome Odunze and give the team additional options on both offense and special teams as they continue to rework their roster ahead of the 2025 season. While both players have been on the roster for well over a week, the details of their contracts remained a mystery until recently. With the details sorted out, here are our initial grades for each signing: Olamide Zaccheaus Signing details One-year, $1.5 million Initial grade: A- The days of paying top dollar for a WR3 are thankfully over for Ryan Poles. Adding Zaccheaus, who is coming off a career season with 45 receptions for 506 yards and three touchdowns for just $1.5 million, is phenomenal value for the Bears. It's so good that I kind of feel bad for Zaccheaus for not getting more money. Last offseason, he signed with the Commanders for just $1.2 million coming off a season where he was seldom used for the Philadelphia Eagles. Seeing Zaccheaus outperform expectations and get rewarded with just a $300,000 raise and $750,000 guaranteed is a bit surprising. It's good news for the Bears, though. Zaccheaus is a do-it-all type of receiver who can make deep plays, catch passes out of the backfield, and do the dirty work when it comes to blocking. He's a player perfectly suited to play a WR3 or WR4 on the team and should give head coach Ben Johnson a fun piece to work with on offense. Zaccheaus can also return punts if needed, giving them insurance on special teams. The Bears didn't need a big name behind Moore or Odunze, but they needed someone dependable who could play multiple roles. They got that with Zaccheaus and it's a very low-risk, high-reward signing. To put it another way, Zaccheaus is making just $300,000 more than Tyler Scott, who caught just one pass all season in 2024. If the worst-case scenario happens and the Bears need to rely on Zaccheaus as their WR1, they could be in trouble. If he's drawing four or five targets a game as a secondary option, it's a fantastic signing. Devin Duvernay Signing details One-year, $1.197 million Initial grade: A- Similarly to Zaccheaus, the Bears bringing in Duvernay is a low-risk, high-reward signing as a return specialist. While he's three years removed from a Pro Bowl appearance, Duvernay is still one of the better returners in the league, and he can be a dynamic weapon for the Bears on special teams. Prior to his stint with Jacksonville, Duvernay never finished a season with fewer than 11.5 yards per punt return. His 12.0 average for his career is even better than Bears legend and Hall of Fame return specialist Devin Hester (11.7), though Hester has about 250 more returns than Duvernay. Still, he's dangerous with the ball in his hands, and he gives Chicago another option to use on offense. Duvernay can manage a few targets per game and give quarterback Caleb Williams another option with game-breaking speed. Duvernay has excellent averages when it comes to punt return yards, but he has two touchdowns as a kick returner during his career. He will fill both spots on special teams and gives the Bears their most dynamic return specialist since the days of Tarik Cohen and Jakeem Grant. The big question, however, is will he bounce back after a down year with the Jaguars? Or is he slowing down literally and figuratively? Duvernay averaged just 8.8 yards per punt return and missed time due to a hamstring injury in 2024. Seeing as he's earning just a little bit more than the vet minimum, though, it's an excellent signing for Chicago and special teams coordinator Richard Hightower to see if Duvernay can produce like he did for the Baltimore Ravens just two years ago.
USA Today
22-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Olamide Zaccheaus wants to make championship run with Bears
Olamide Zaccheaus wants to make championship run with Bears Following a disastrous 2024 season, the Chicago Bears moved quickly to overhaul the franchise inside and out. It began with the hiring of Ben Johnson as head coach and continued with upgrades across the roster, most notably in the trenches. The Bears made a splash before the start of free agency with the trades for offensive lineman Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson. Chicago continued to add talent in the trenches with the signings of center Drew Dalman, defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, and defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo. But they didn't stop there. Once the first wave of free agency settled down, the Bears added veteran wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus, who has plans to bring a championship back to the city of Chicago. Speaking to the media for the first time as a member of the Bears, Zaccheaus emphasized wanting to do his part in making a run for a championship with his new team. "I think it's everything here, the culture, the history, the tradition. I feel like it's a great time to be in Chicago," Zaccheaus said. "I just want to do my part in trying to get us to win games and make a run for the whole thing." The Bears, who haven't appeared in a Super Bowl since 2006 or won one since 1985, are starving to get back to their winning ways as one of the NFL's most historic franchises. Zaccheaus, along with other notable newcomers, will be tasked with putting it all together next season in hopes of establishing themselves as a true contender not only in the NFC North but the NFL.
Associated Press
17-03-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
New Bears receiver Olamide Zaccheaus looks forward to catching passes from Caleb Williams
CHICAGO (AP) — New Chicago Bears wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus sees star potential in quarterback Caleb Williams and hopes to develop the sort of connection he had with Jayden Daniels in Washington last season. 'The biggest thing, I think, is the mental aspect of it for any young quarterback, especially Caleb,' Zaccheaus said Monday after finalizing a one-year contract. 'He has all the talent that you need to be a top-tier quarterback in the league, so a lot of it is just going to be the mental aspect of it. You know, kind of just slowing the game down.' The 27-year-old Zaccheaus goes from catching passes from the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year to working with the quarterback drafted with the No. 1 overall pick last spring. He figures to be mainly the slot receiver in Chicago playing with DJ Moore and Rome Odunze. Zaccheaus is coming off a bounce-back season with Washington, catching a career-high 45 passes for 506 yards and three touchdowns, after finishing with just 10 receptions the previous year with Philadelphia. He spent four seasons in Atlanta after going undrafted out of Virginia in 2019. Zaccheaus had one of his best seasons in 2022, with 40 catches for a personal-best 533 yards and three TDs. Chicago finished last in the NFC North at 5-12 and lost 10 in a row at one point before closing last season with a win at Green Bay. The Bears fired former coach Matt Eberflus on Nov. 29 and replaced him on an interim basis with Thomas Brown before hiring Ben Johnson in January. Johnson was considered the top candidate on the market after spending the past three seasons as Detroit's offensive coordinator. In the past few weeks, the Bears have beefed up the protection for Williams by trading for guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson and signing center Drew Dalman. They also bolstered their defensive line by adding defensive tackle Grady Jarrett and edge rusher Dayo Odeyingbo.
NBC Sports
17-03-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Mecole Hardman took a free agent visit to Chicago on Monday
The Bears are not done at wide receiver apparently. After adding Olamide Zaccheaus in free agency, the Bears had receivers Rondale Moore and Mecole Hardman in town for free agent visits Monday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports. Moore's visit previously was reported. It appeared Hardman was on his way out of Kansas City when the Chiefs re-signed JuJu Smith-Schuster. Hardman left for the Jets in free agency a year ago before the Chiefs traded for him in the middle of the year. He played only six games with two starts and caught 14 passes for 118 yards with Kansas City. He did not play in the postseason. Hardman caught the game-winning touchdown in overtime of Super Bowl LVIII, delivering the Chiefs a 25-22 victory over the 49ers to end the 2023 season. In his six NFL seasons, Hardman has appeared in 80 games with 28 starts, catching 178 passes for 2,302 yards and 16 touchdowns.
