New Bears receiver Olamide Zaccheaus looks forward to catching passes from Caleb Williams

CHICAGO (AP) — New Chicago Bears wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus sees star potential in quarterback Caleb Williams and hopes to develop the sort of connection he had with Jayden Daniels in Washington last season.

“The biggest thing, I think, is the mental aspect of it for any young quarterback, especially Caleb,” Zaccheaus said Monday after finalizing a one-year contract. "He has all the talent that you need to be a top-tier quarterback in the league, so a lot of it is just going to be the mental aspect of it. You know, kind of just slowing the game down.”

The 27-year-old Zaccheaus goes from catching passes from the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year to working with the quarterback drafted with the No. 1 overall pick last spring. He figures to be mainly the slot receiver in Chicago playing with DJ Moore and Rome Odunze.

Zaccheaus is coming off a bounce-back season with Washington, catching a career-high 45 passes for 506 yards and three touchdowns, after finishing with just 10 receptions the previous year with Philadelphia. He spent four seasons in Atlanta after going undrafted out of Virginia in 2019. Zaccheaus had one of his best seasons in 2022, with 40 catches for a personal-best 533 yards and three TDs.

Chicago finished last in the NFC North at 5-12 and lost 10 in a row at one point before closing last season with a win at Green Bay. The Bears fired former coach Matt Eberflus on Nov. 29 and replaced him on an interim basis with Thomas Brown before hiring Ben Johnson in January. Johnson was considered the top candidate on the market after spending the past three seasons as Detroit’s offensive coordinator.

In the past few weeks, the Bears have beefed up the protection for Williams by trading for guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson and signing center Drew Dalman. They also bolstered their defensive line by adding defensive tackle Grady Jarrett and edge rusher Dayo Odeyingbo.

Chicago re-signed veteran long snapper Scott Daly to a one-year contract on Monday. ___

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