There's no getting around the fact that the Chicago Bears' offense was as bad as it was the worst unit in the NFL in 2024.
A lot has changed with this team to transform the offense. The additions of left guard Joe Thuney, center Drew Dalman, and right guard Jonah Jackson have drastically improved the interior of the offensive line, following a season in which the group allowed 68 sacks. Chicago let Keenan Allen walk in free agency and selected Luther Burden III in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
While Burden is widely viewed as the replacement for Allen, there is one other new wide receiver who might make more noise than some expect.
Olamide Zaccheaus could be in for a massive 2025 season
One of the quieter moves during the offseason was the Bears' signing of wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus in free agency. Zaccheaus is coming off the second-best season of his career with 506 receiving yards and three touchdowns with the Washington Commanders in 2024.
While he has never been a superstar, Zaccheaus has been a solid and reliable receiver over his six seasons in the NFL, with the Atlanta Falcons, Philadelphia Eagles, and Commanders. His best season came in 2022 with Atlanta as he caught 40 passes for a career-high 533 yards and three touchdowns in 17 games.
The strength of Zaccheaus' game is his sharp and precise route running that makes him a perfect slot receiver in the offense. He also has a good target-catching radius, as he caught 70.3% of his targets last year in Washington, which was the highest of his career.
D.J. Moore and Rome Odunze will start on the outside with Burden most likely lining up in the slot. His soft tissue injury has kept him out of offseason workouts which has been a concern in Chicago.
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It's most likely that Burden comes back on the field for training camp, but this would open the door for Zaccheaus to jump in and fill in at slot receiver. Zaccheaus makes a perfect insurance policy in case Burden can't recover quickly from the injury.
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams needs to have receivers he can trust to make this offense flourish in 2025. Zaccheaus could be the guy to elevate the offense, and he might be able to put up big numbers in Chicago.