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It's been a few weeks since free agency opened in the NFL, and the Chicago Bears pounced early with their big signings of center Drew Dalman, defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, and defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo in the first couple of days.
Since then, the Bears made a couple of smaller signings, primarily at the wide receiver position. The Bears signed former Washington Commanders receiver Olamide Zaccheaus and former Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Devin Duvernay to one-year contracts. Both veterans will fill roles behind DJ Moore and Rome Odunze and give the team additional options on both offense and special teams as they continue to rework their roster ahead of the 2025 season.
While both players have been on the roster for well over a week, the details of their contracts remained a mystery until recently. With the details sorted out, here are our initial grades for each signing:
The days of paying top dollar for a WR3 are thankfully over for Ryan Poles. Adding Zaccheaus, who is coming off a career season with 45 receptions for 506 yards and three touchdowns for just $1.5 million, is phenomenal value for the Bears. It's so good that I kind of feel bad for Zaccheaus for not getting more money. Last offseason, he signed with the Commanders for just $1.2 million coming off a season where he was seldom used for the Philadelphia Eagles. Seeing Zaccheaus outperform expectations and get rewarded with just a $300,000 raise and $750,000 guaranteed is a bit surprising. It's good news for the Bears, though.
Zaccheaus is a do-it-all type of receiver who can make deep plays, catch passes out of the backfield, and do the dirty work when it comes to blocking. He's a player perfectly suited to play a WR3 or WR4 on the team and should give head coach Ben Johnson a fun piece to work with on offense. Zaccheaus can also return punts if needed, giving them insurance on special teams.
The Bears didn't need a big name behind Moore or Odunze, but they needed someone dependable who could play multiple roles. They got that with Zaccheaus and it's a very low-risk, high-reward signing. To put it another way, Zaccheaus is making just $300,000 more than Tyler Scott, who caught just one pass all season in 2024. If the worst-case scenario happens and the Bears need to rely on Zaccheaus as their WR1, they could be in trouble. If he's drawing four or five targets a game as a secondary option, it's a fantastic signing.
Similarly to Zaccheaus, the Bears bringing in Duvernay is a low-risk, high-reward signing as a return specialist. While he's three years removed from a Pro Bowl appearance, Duvernay is still one of the better returners in the league, and he can be a dynamic weapon for the Bears on special teams.
Prior to his stint with Jacksonville, Duvernay never finished a season with fewer than 11.5 yards per punt return. His 12.0 average for his career is even better than Bears legend and Hall of Fame return specialist Devin Hester (11.7), though Hester has about 250 more returns than Duvernay. Still, he's dangerous with the ball in his hands, and he gives Chicago another option to use on offense. Duvernay can manage a few targets per game and give quarterback Caleb Williams another option with game-breaking speed.
Duvernay has excellent averages when it comes to punt return yards, but he has two touchdowns as a kick returner during his career. He will fill both spots on special teams and gives the Bears their most dynamic return specialist since the days of Tarik Cohen and Jakeem Grant.
The big question, however, is will he bounce back after a down year with the Jaguars? Or is he slowing down literally and figuratively? Duvernay averaged just 8.8 yards per punt return and missed time due to a hamstring injury in 2024. Seeing as he's earning just a little bit more than the vet minimum, though, it's an excellent signing for Chicago and special teams coordinator Richard Hightower to see if Duvernay can produce like he did for the Baltimore Ravens just two years ago.
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Grading the Bears' signings of Olamide Zaccheaus and Devin Duvernay
Continue reading...
Since then, the Bears made a couple of smaller signings, primarily at the wide receiver position. The Bears signed former Washington Commanders receiver Olamide Zaccheaus and former Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Devin Duvernay to one-year contracts. Both veterans will fill roles behind DJ Moore and Rome Odunze and give the team additional options on both offense and special teams as they continue to rework their roster ahead of the 2025 season.
While both players have been on the roster for well over a week, the details of their contracts remained a mystery until recently. With the details sorted out, here are our initial grades for each signing:
Olamide Zaccheaus
Signing details
- One-year, $1.5 million
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Initial grade: A-
The days of paying top dollar for a WR3 are thankfully over for Ryan Poles. Adding Zaccheaus, who is coming off a career season with 45 receptions for 506 yards and three touchdowns for just $1.5 million, is phenomenal value for the Bears. It's so good that I kind of feel bad for Zaccheaus for not getting more money. Last offseason, he signed with the Commanders for just $1.2 million coming off a season where he was seldom used for the Philadelphia Eagles. Seeing Zaccheaus outperform expectations and get rewarded with just a $300,000 raise and $750,000 guaranteed is a bit surprising. It's good news for the Bears, though.
Zaccheaus is a do-it-all type of receiver who can make deep plays, catch passes out of the backfield, and do the dirty work when it comes to blocking. He's a player perfectly suited to play a WR3 or WR4 on the team and should give head coach Ben Johnson a fun piece to work with on offense. Zaccheaus can also return punts if needed, giving them insurance on special teams.
The Bears didn't need a big name behind Moore or Odunze, but they needed someone dependable who could play multiple roles. They got that with Zaccheaus and it's a very low-risk, high-reward signing. To put it another way, Zaccheaus is making just $300,000 more than Tyler Scott, who caught just one pass all season in 2024. If the worst-case scenario happens and the Bears need to rely on Zaccheaus as their WR1, they could be in trouble. If he's drawing four or five targets a game as a secondary option, it's a fantastic signing.
Devin Duvernay
Signing details
- One-year, $1.197 million
You must be registered for see images attach
Initial grade: A-
Similarly to Zaccheaus, the Bears bringing in Duvernay is a low-risk, high-reward signing as a return specialist. While he's three years removed from a Pro Bowl appearance, Duvernay is still one of the better returners in the league, and he can be a dynamic weapon for the Bears on special teams.
Prior to his stint with Jacksonville, Duvernay never finished a season with fewer than 11.5 yards per punt return. His 12.0 average for his career is even better than Bears legend and Hall of Fame return specialist Devin Hester (11.7), though Hester has about 250 more returns than Duvernay. Still, he's dangerous with the ball in his hands, and he gives Chicago another option to use on offense. Duvernay can manage a few targets per game and give quarterback Caleb Williams another option with game-breaking speed.
Duvernay has excellent averages when it comes to punt return yards, but he has two touchdowns as a kick returner during his career. He will fill both spots on special teams and gives the Bears their most dynamic return specialist since the days of Tarik Cohen and Jakeem Grant.
The big question, however, is will he bounce back after a down year with the Jaguars? Or is he slowing down literally and figuratively? Duvernay averaged just 8.8 yards per punt return and missed time due to a hamstring injury in 2024. Seeing as he's earning just a little bit more than the vet minimum, though, it's an excellent signing for Chicago and special teams coordinator Richard Hightower to see if Duvernay can produce like he did for the Baltimore Ravens just two years ago.
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Grading the Bears' signings of Olamide Zaccheaus and Devin Duvernay
Continue reading...
