Losing Keenan Allen to free agency presented the Chicago Bears with a difficult challenge. They would have to find a wide receiver who could help complement D.J. Moore and Rome Odunze in the passing game while also fitting the new offense head coach Ben Johnson aimed to install. Plenty of names were mentioned as possibilities, from Amari Cooper to Tim Patrick. However, the Bears pulled a minor swerve when they struck a deal with Olamide Zaccheaus, a former undrafted free agent who’d carved out a productive niche with the Washington Commanders last season en route to the NFC Championship.
Most will see it as a downgrade from Allen, considering Zaccheaus barely cracked 500 yards with three touchdowns. That belies the many little things he can bring to a football team. ESPN analyst and former defensive back Matt Bowen helped illustrate this on Twitter. From time to time, he posts moves by teams he thinks are underrated. It appears he’s a fan of the Zaccheaus signing due to what he offers both on offense and special teams. Rest assured, it’s not just about his receiving ability.
Olamide Zaccheaus is willing to do whatever is asked of him.
He’s a quality slot target with enough explosiveness to create separation, but he truly shines once the ball is in his hands. Johnson tends to prefer receivers who can make plays after the catch. It isn’t surprising he’d like Zaccheaus. Beyond that, he is a willing blocker in the run game. Keep in mind he is only 5’8″ and 193 lbs. That didn’t stop Washington from using him on 227 run-blocking snaps. To top it off, he also averaged 10.5 yards on 17 punt returns last season. There are innumerable ways he can help the Bears.
The best part is it likely didn’t cost much to acquire him. Signing Olamide Zaccheaus likely eases any need for the Bears to worry about drafting a wide receiver early. They are free to focus on other positions. It will be fascinating to see how the coaches deploy him this season. Perhaps they will borrow concepts from what Washington did last season.
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@Barry The problem is that if MY HC BEN totally shuts down Poles and it becomes publicized, then such is not going to set well with the African American community, activists, and some players as well. So it is in his and the McCaskeys’ best interests to keep Poles as some type of key player in the process, perhaps even bestowing upon Poles with credit for things done by the coaches, including supposedly the coaches themselves.
From my perspective, the Oz and Dayo signings are similar. Both can be major wild card players–one on O and the other on D, respectively.
@Dr. Sallie If OC/HC Johnson lets Poles do anything other than click send on the Docusign, then it’ll be a mistake.
I do like the signing, although as @Bears57 pointed out, calling it “robbery” is ridiculous. It’s a one-year deal, and while I can’t find the number reported anywhere, I’m confident that the cost of literally any other team securing his services would’ve amounted to a rounding error. Oz plays a lot like Deebo Samuel, and he has experience playing with a young, highly touted QB1 who entered the league prepared to win. I hope that experience has a similar effect on Caleb, who I hope is buried deep in his private film room right this very moment, studying up on… Read more »
I seen the female lying are at it once again