The Chicago Bears have their slot receiver in Olamide Zaccheaus, who officially signed a one-year contract with the team on Monday afternoon.
The former undrafted free agent, from Virginia in 2019, is on his fourth team after having stops in Washington, Philadelphia and Atlanta.
Several factors appealed to Zaccheaus when he decided to sign with Chicago.
“The culture here, the history, the tradition,” Zaccheaus said. “I feel like it’s a great time to be in Chicago. I just want to be able to do my part and try to win some games and make a run for the whole thing.”
With the Commanders last season, Zaccheaus caught 45 passes for 506 yards and three touchdowns from rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. Zaccheaus detailed when he knew Daniels would be special and what he will be looking for from his new quarterback in Caleb Williams.
Olamide Zaccheaus is going from Jayden Daniels to Caleb Williams
"I think with Jayden it was a throw in OTAs that he made that really displayed his arm talent and obviously in OTAs and training camp you don't really run around as much, so I didn't really see that aspect of it until we started playing games,” Zaccheaus said. “So, just how he processes things and how he developed. He's just so eager to learn and get better and how consistent he was at being better. That's how I knew he was going to be special and he was going to continue to do great things. The biggest thing I think is the mental aspect of it for any young quarterback, especially Caleb. 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."
Zaccheaus can help Williams by becoming a reliable target from the slot – which Zaccheaus said he expects to primarily play from, he did mention that “having the ability to move outside and move around in the offense" is something he prides himself in.
According to Pro Football Focus, in Zaccheaus’ six-year career, he has lined up in the slot for 836 snaps and 805 snaps out wide. The 5-foot-8, 193-pound pass catcher does provide some versatility for head coach Ben Johnson.
Despite his size, Zaccheaus also isn’t hesitant to provide support as a run blocker.
"It takes everybody, takes all 11 to run the ball and even in the pass game as well when somebody catches the ball and getting on the field to get a block and it's going to be a staple of what you see here with Ben Johnson, trying to build this offense," Zaccheaus said.
The Commanders eliminated Johnson’s Lions last season at Ford Field in the Divisional Round. But now Zaccheaus will play a part in Johnson’s scheme as the two work together along with everyone else to help the Bears build their new-look offense.
“I think just from afar, obviously, you see what his offenses have done in the past,” Zaccheaus said. “Just the creativity in the play calls and just how great the offenses have been and how productive they’ve been. That really excites me. And you also just watch film and tape of how hard they play for each other. That’s something that’s right up my alley. I’m just excited to get to work and build on that.”