Chicago Bears Add Veteran Wide Receiver On 1-Year Deal

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The Chicago Bears have signed Wide Receiver Olamide Zaccheaus to a one-year deal. Zaccheaus will fill in as the slot receiver for Caleb Williams and the new-look Chicago Bears offense under first-year Head Coach Ben Johnson. Zaccheaus spent the first four years of his career with the Falcons before spending one year in Philadelphia with the Eagles and last year with the Washington Commanders.

Zaccheaus is coming off a 2024 season where he had a career-high in receptions, targets, and first downs. He is slated to replace Keenan Allen’s role on the offense as the Thursday signing all but assures that Allen will not be returning to the Chicago Bears in 2025. Signing Zaccheaus also dims the possibility that the Bears are in the running for prolific wide receivers like Cooper Kupp, and also limits the ascension from receivers on the current roster like Tyler Scott.

Olamide Zaccheaus Signs with Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears turned their attention to the wide receiving room in free agency on Thursday by signing Zaccheaus to a one-year deal. Zaccheaus, 27, goes from one quarterback drafted in 2024 to another. After spending 2024 in Washington with the Commanders and Jayden Daniels, Zaccheaus will be targeted by the number one overall pick in last year’s draft, Williams. The Chicago Bears are hoping that Zaccheaus can improve on the career highs he set last year in receptions, targets, and first downs.

In his career, Zaccheaus has been with three teams across six seasons since coming to the NFL undrafted out of the University of Virginia in 2019. Zaccheaus spent four years in Atlanta with the Falcons before spending one year in Philadelphia and Washington each. In those six seasons, Zaccheaus has 149 receptions, 1,998 receiving yards, 98 first downs, and 13 touchdowns in 89 games. He has shown an ability to produce out of the slot and should fill in behind DJ Moore and Rome Odunze on the Chicago Bears depth chart.

This move clears up Chicago’s offseason plans for the wide receiver position. After signing Zaccheaus, it becomes increasingly unlikely that Allen will return to the Bears or that they will be in the running for premier veteran receivers like Kupp. In concert with the other moves the Chicago Bears have made so far this offseason, signing Zaccheaus closes the door on a position group for the team to focus on in the NFL Draft.

Final Thoughts

I don’t really understand this move from the Chicago Bears. Zaccheaus is a run-of-the-mill receiver who doesn’t move the needle in the wide receiver room. He does not have any strong connections to the Chicago Bears or their coaching staff, so there’s no distinct advantage to bringing in Zaccheaus. He signed a one-year deal so it’s not a huge commitment and won’t be a punitive mistake if it goes poorly, but Zaccheaus will be taking some reps away from some other receivers on the roster with bigger long-term upside.

The Chicago Bears could benefit from these receivers getting more experience and capitalizing on their potential. Receivers like Scott are the biggest losers for this move. With the departure of Allen, Scott was the likely incumbent as the third receiver on the depth chart.

Zaccheaus is a known quantity, and while the Bears are behaving like a team in contention so far this offseason, they should still be open to having players on the roster prove themselves and develop into key contributors, especially when they likely have a higher ceiling of production than this veteran receiver.