Bears new WR shares what he learned from working with Jayden Daniels and how it can apply to his connection with Caleb Williams
On Monday, the Chicago Bears made things official with Olamide Zaccheaus, the team's newest wide receiver, set to join Ben Johnson's growing offense.What exactly that offense looks like is still in the air, and will be for a few more months until we see the scheme take shape on the field during the summer.One thing […]
On Monday, the Chicago Bears made things official with Olamide Zaccheaus, the team's newest wide receiver, set to join Ben Johnson's growing offense.
What exactly that offense looks like is still in the air, and will be for a few more months until we see the scheme take shape on the field during the summer.
One thing is for sure, this offense will be structured around quarterback Caleb Williams, the team's first overall pick from last year's draft.
Williams' rookie season was forgetful at best. The team's future of the franchise dealt with more disfunction than any first overall pick has ever faced as a rookie and building back that consistency is going to be key going forward.
Which is why the Bears aggressively went after a new head coach in Ben Johnson who will bring his brilliant offensive-mind and overall culture to Chicago.
Williams' rookie experience was night-and-day compared to the second overall pick, Jayden Daniels, who led the Washington Commanders to the NFC Championship Game in his first season.
Zaccheaus was a key role player on that Commanders offense working with Daniels hauling in 45 receptions for 506 yards and three touchdowns in 2024.
During his introductory press conference with the Bears, he shared what he learned from that experience and how it can help Williams grow in Year 2.
"The biggest thing, I think, is just the mental aspect of it for any young quarterback, especially Caleb," Zaccheaus said on Monday. "He has all the talent that you need to be a top-tier quarterback in the league. A lot of it's just going to be the mental aspect of it and kind of just slowing the game down."
Slowing the game down is definitely going to be a main focus for Williams. Last season, Williams looked flustered all season long struggling to build a connection with his pass catchers while avoiding heavy pressure coming at his face.
"The biggest thing is just the connection," Zaccheaus added. "That was one thing that [we] prided ourselves on doing is just being able to connect as quickly as possible. That's how you really take off… Everybody in the building has to connect as fast as possible. Then we'll see what that takes us, but that puts you in the best position to be able to have success."
As for the connections with his offensive weapons in the passing game, Williams will have the majority of his weapons back in 2025, with a few additions such as Zaccheaus. At the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, Johnson issued a similar warning expressing the importance of building those connections as soon as possible.
"Listen, in the National Football League, these guys better be working together when we're not in session," Johnson said via the Waddle & Silvy Show. "They better be, or they're going to fall behind."
Getting back on board quick with DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, Cole Kmet, Zaccheaus and the rest of the pass catchers will be huge for the entire offense, much less Williams' growth. And luckily the Bears have someone holding the entire team accountable this time around.
Ben Johnson might have his eyes set on another former Super Bowl Champ with second free agent wide receiver set to visit with the Bears
Another potential option to consider adding.
