It wasn’t too long ago that the Atlanta Falcons filled out their roster with former Chicago Bears.
Now, the opposite is happening.
With receiver Olamide Zaccheaus signing Monday, the Bears have added three former Falcons. Zaccheaus joins defensive tackle Grady Jarrett and center Drew Dalman.
“It’s going to help a lot,” Zaccheaus said. “Having people that you’re familiar with in a new environment and kind of going through the same situation that you’re going through always helps.”
Zaccheaus spent last season with the Washington Commanders, making 45 catches for 506 yards and three touchdowns during the regular season. He played for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2023 but spent four seasons with the Falcons before that.
He’s the newest weapon for coach Ben Johnson’s offense.
“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.”
With Zaccheaus signed, free agency entering another stage and pro days now dominating the calendar, here are five takeaways on the Bears’ offseason — the first run by general manager Ryan Poles with Johnson.
1. The Bears should absolutely consider running back Ashton Jeanty and tight end Tyler Warren with the No. 10 pick.
By adding guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson along with Dalman, the Bears’ approach to the draft can change. They don’t have to focus mainly on offensive linemen.
“This really opens the whole board for us,” Poles said last week. “We’re going to be able to sit back and kind of look and say, ‘What’s the best thing to do for the Chicago Bears and who’s the best player that can impact?’ We’ve got some tough decisions and a lot of film to watch between now and the draft.”
Debates about drafting more offensive linemen and the merits of positional value only go so far when you’re considering the absolute best in their respective positions, which Jeanty and Warren are this year.
At this point, it seems unlikely that Missouri right tackle Armand Membou will reach the Bears at No. 10. He had an outstanding performance at the NFL combine. It’s different for LSU left tackle Will Campbell. He must be considered if he falls to No. 10. The Bears will be doing so with the understanding that Campbell is probably better suited for guard because of his arm length of 32 5/8 inches. It’s similar to Thuney’s of 32 1/4.
It’s a deep year for running backs and tight ends. But that doesn’t mean you should wait to add one. Taking the best running back in a good year for the position says more about what you’re adding as opposed to taking the third-best offensive lineman at No. 10.
The Bears need true difference-makers who “impact” the game as Poles said. Jeanty or Warren should be able to do that immediately, especially in Johnson’s offense.
It’s worth repeating what Lions general manager Brad Holmes said after drafting running back Jahmyr Gibbs two years ago at No. 12: “We didn’t acquire a running back in the first round. We acquired an elite weapon to keep our offense explosive in the first round.”
Jeanty and Warren are both elite weapons.
2. What Poles said about “waves of pass rushers” could be a hint about his draft plans.
It’s different on the offensive line, where the additions of Thuney, Jackson and Dalman offset the needs up front this offseason. The Bears want more pass rushers. It’s a cliche because all teams do. But signing veteran defensive tackle Grady Jarrett and defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo feels like a starting point.
“We all watched the Super Bowl, right? You want to have waves of pass rushers,” Poles said, referencing the Eagles’ performance against the Chiefs. “So if all of those guys are getting better and they’re working together, I really think we can affect the passer and, therefore, it’s going to put our team in a really good position.
“Like I said, you can’t have enough pass rushers. We’re always looking to add and improve that group, but I feel good about where we are today.”
Poles might feel even better after drafting another defensive lineman early in the draft. It’s a good year for running backs, tight ends and defensive linemen. It wouldn’t be surprising if their first-round decision comes down to Jeanty, Warren or the best pass rusher on their board at No. 10.
With the team introducing Thuney, Jackson and Jarrett last Wednesday, Johnson and Poles both missed Georgia’s pro day. Bulldogs pass rushers Jalon Walker and Mykel Williams are ranked as the third- and 16th-best players in the draft, respectively, on Dane Brugler’s big board.
Williams might be the one to watch. At 6-foot-5 and 260 pounds with 34 3/8-inch arms, he appears to fit the physical profile that defensive coordinator Dennis Allen wants.
The ideal plan, though, could be taking Jeanty or Warren at No. 10 and then drafting a pass rusher with the 39th or 41st pick.
3. As we all learn more about Johnson and his philosophies, the priority placed on the intelligence of the Bears’ offensive line felt essential.
Johnson’s best sound bite was him saying that the Bears wanted “some tough, some gritty, some dirty individuals” for their offensive line. But the more the Bears’ moves were discussed, it became apparent that Johnson covets offensive linemen who can keep up with what he’s trying to do offensively. Thuney, Jackson and Dalman all have the intelligence he wants.
“The intelligence factor is a major portion of it because they got to be able to handle different fronts for all these variety of schemes that we would like to employ,” Johnson said after the team introduced Thuney and Jackson. “End of the day, we’ll push this thing as far as we feel the collective group can handle up front. And that’s where the intelligence is so, so important to expand on that variety.”
A day later, Johnson described Dalman as the quarterback of the offensive line.
“This day in age, I think the hardest problems defenses give us is schematically in the pass-rush game, blitz pickup and those things, particularly on third down,” Johnson said. “I feel strongly that Drew is going to have the acumen to help us out and problem solve. There’s unscouted looks each and every week that, as long as you understand the rules of protection, we can figure it out. But everything’s happening quickly. It’s a fun challenge, and I know Drew and Caleb (Williams) are looking to grow together that way.”
4. It’s best to view Odeyingbo as more of a defensive lineman — who can play across the line of scrimmage — instead of simply as the team’s newest edge rusher.
The majority of Odeyinbgo’s snaps have come at defensive end, but he also played inside in the A and B gaps for the Colts. At 6-6 and 286 pounds, he can do that.
“His ability to play the run and rush the passer from different locations, outside, inside, is again going to make our defensive line even better,” Poles said.
Odeyingbo became expendable for the Colts after the team drafted pass rusher Laiatu Latu in the first round last year and exercised Kwity Paye’s fifth-year option for 2025. Paye was the 21st pick that year; Odeyingbo was No. 54.
The Bears are betting on a young player in Odeyingbo who has gotten better every season since tearing his Achilles tendon just days before the 2021 Senior Bowl. The Colts still took a swing on him in the second round that year despite the severity of his injury.
“You learn what’s important to you,” Odeyingbo said. “You learn what it takes to get here and what it takes to keep what you have — and nothing is promised.”
5. With Zaccheaus signing Monday and the Bears reportedly hosting receiver Rondale Moore, quickness, speed and elusiveness are seemingly must-haves for Johnson and his offense, regardless of size.
Zaccheaus, who went undrafted in 2019 out of Virginia, is only 5-8.
Moore, a second-round pick for the Cardinals in 2021, is 5-7.
Here is an excerpt from Brugler’s scouting report on Zaccheaus from his draft year: “He quickly finds his speed and there is a skilled craftiness with the way he skirts defenders. Overall, Zaccheaus is a gadget player who might not find a steady role in every offense, but he has outstanding vision and a knack for creating with the ball.”
And here are some of the highlights of Brugler’s 2021 scouting report on Moore, who suffered a non-contact knee injury in August of last year after being traded to the Falcons: “Quick-twitch athlete with controlled burst … elusive body movements and stylistically loose … sticks his foot in the ground and snaps off routes to create pockets of separation … catch-and-go creator.”
Zaccheaus said he expects to play in the slot in Johnson’s offense. He’s also shown that he’s a strong and willing blocker in the run game and down the field for his teammates.
“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,” he said. “It’s going to be a staple of what you see here with Ben Johnson, trying to build this offense.”
(Photo of Ashton Jeanty: Keith Birmingham / MediaNews Group / Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)
