As Ben Johnson steps into his new role as head coach of the Chicago Bears, his first order of business will be helping quarterback Caleb Williams reach his ceiling. One way to do that is stocking the wide receiver room full of talent.
DJ Moore and Rome Odunze are still the unquestioned leaders at the top of the pecking order. However, Olamide Zaccheaus was brought in on a one-year deal to add another pass catcher to the mix. The Bears are still continuing to host players such as Rondale Moore and Mecole Hardman as they figure out the right receiver mix.
But now that Zaccheaus is locked in with Chicago, he is ready to hit the ground running. He has heard all the buzz surrounding Johnson’s offense and is now more than excited to be a part of it, via Adam Jahns of The Athletic.
“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,” Zaccheaus said of playing for Johnson “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.”
What Olamide Zaccheaus offers Chicago Bears
Zaccheaus spent the 2024 season with the Washington Commanders, appearing in all 17 games and starting six. The receiver caught a career-high 45 passes for 506 yards and three touchdowns. If he were on the Bears, Zaccheaus would’ve ranked fourth on the team in receiving yards, fifth in receptions and tied for fourth in receiving touchdowns.
Over his entire six year NFL career, Zaccheaus has caught 149 passes for 1,998 yards and 13 touchdowns. He has three touchdown grabs in three of his last four seasons. In two of those campaigns, Zaccheaus broke 500 yards receiving.
He will be asked to serve a very familiar role on the Bears. He won’t be the first, second or even third option in the offense. But when Williams looks his way, Zaccheaus better be ready to catch the ball. Seeing how early the Bears signed him, clearly Chicago is confident Zaccheaus can fill that role admirably.
The Bears aren’t done adding at receiving either, but they already know what they have in their third option. Zaccheaus might be tested as the offseason goes on, but for now, he’s poised to serve as Chicago’s WR3 in 2025.
Bears look to emulate Detroit Lions passing attack
With Moore and Odunze at the top of the depth chart, the Bears are confident they’ll have a formidable one-two punch throughout 2025. But as Johnson steps into the head role, he may be looking for Chicago to be as explosive as the Detroit Lions were in 2024.
Quarterback Jared Goff finished second in the league with 4,629 passing yards. His 37 passing touchdowns ranked fourth while the Lions as a whole ranked second in passing, averaging 409.5 yards per game. Goff and Williams are two different quarterbacks, but Johnson is hoping the latter can break 4,000 yards passing in 2025.
Leading the Lions receiving core was Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams. Brown had 115 receptions for 1,263 yards and 12 touchdowns while Williams made 58 grabs for 1,001 yards and seven touchdowns. Tight end Sam LaPorta was a major part of the passing attack as well, making 60 receptions for 726 yards and seven touchdowns.
Moore would be Brown, Odunze would be Williams and Cole Kmet would be LaPorta. It is not an exact one-for-one replica, but Johnson at least has the foundation for an offense he has shown will work in the NFL.
Zaccheaus must now find his role. The fact he’s already on the roster shows Johnson has a plan. Williams at least has to be excited seeing how much the Chicago Bears have invested into their passing attack.
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