The Chicago Bears saw fit to part ways with veteran wide receiver Keenan Allen ahead of Ben Johnson's first season as head coach, choosing instead to roll with a starting trio of veteran star DJ Moore, enticing Top 10 pick Rome Odunze, and much-hyped second-round pick Luther Burden III.
Unfortunately for the Bears, Burden may not report to training camp. 30 of the 32 second-round picks from the last draft remain unsigned, as they are seeking the fully guaranteed contracts that top two picks Carson Schwesinger and Jayden Higgins received in their deals.
Burden may have an inside track to the starting slot wide receiver role due to his college career at Missouri, but his absence could provide an opportunity for another veteran on this roster to stamp themselves as an unquestioned starting-level talent who could fill in for Burden.
The Bears signed diminutive dynamo Olamide Zaccheaus from the Washington Commanders after he put up the finest individual season of his career. If this Burden situation continues to drag on past training camp, look for Zaccheaus to possibly see an uptick in snaps.
Olamide Zaccheaus could benefit from Bears' Luther Burdern III situation
Zaccheaus spent the first four years of his career as a serviceable No. 3 and No. 4 wide receiver with the Atlanta Falcons, though the South Jersey-born wideout saw his stock within the league plummet after a terrible 2023 season with his hometown Philadelphia Eagles. Enter Kliff Kingsbury to save his career.
Zaccheaus caught 40 passes for 506 yards and two touchdowns on Jayden Daniels' Washington Commanders last season. His jittery style of route-running underneath helped him thrive in Kliff Kingsbury's Air Raid-adjacent offense last year, and it could help him leapfrog Burden on the Chicago depth chart.
Caleb Williams has immense talent, but the biggest flaw in his style of play right now is his penchant for holding onto the ball for too long and taking too many bad sacks. Johnson will likely have fun drawing up plays for Zaccheaus, who can take a quick-hitter from Williams and make something out of it.
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Zaccheaus proved last year that he still has some gas left in the tank as a pro receiver, and he could be a perfect slot receiver for Johnson's offense. Burden is obviously the long-term plan at the slot position, but he could watch Zaccheaus take his spot early in his career due to this holdout.