As the Chicago Bears' offseason makeover continues, they are expected to sign free agent wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus to a one-year deal, adding depth to their wide receiver room.
Zaccheaus, 27, had 45 catches last year with the Washington Commanders.
Meanwhile Thursday, the Bears introduced two more of their earlier free agent signings, center Drew Dalman and defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo.
There has been a concerted effort from General Manager Ryan Poles and new Head Coach Ben Johnson to beef up the trenches.
Dalman joins an overhauled Bears offensive line after starting at center for the Atlanta Falcons the past three seasons. His role in Johnson's offense is a lot more than just blocking the defender in front of him.
"I talked about intelligence. I think at that spot, it's critical. He's going to be the cornerback of our offensive line. He'll be setting the protections of the run game for us — something he's done in his past. I think we can put even more on his plate, so I'm excited about that," said Coach Johnson. "He's still learning. He's still growing as a player."
Meanwhile, the Bears gave Odeyingbo $32 million guaranteed despite the fact the 25-year-old only had 3 sacks last season with the colts.
Poles sees a "disruptive," versatile force on the defensive line with room to grow, something with which Odeyingbo agrees.
"For me, I still believe I'm just at the beginning, you know, I have a lot of football ahead of me and I'm just you know, starting to hit my stride. I've gone through a lot of learning throughout my years, coming in injured and having to grow through that, and I think it's made me a better player," Odeyingbo said. "I think I've improved consistently every year. I plan to continue to do that."
Johnson also said that his team had better be ready to be uncomfortable as they work to get better — and that seems to be just fine with the new guys.
"Having someone who embraces challenges, and that's what the NFL is all about. It's really exciting. It makes us feel like we're going to approach everything head-on — and that it's good to fail, and it's good to be aggressive, and all those things, because when you're working at your fringe, that's when you're going to approve the most," said Dalman, "and so feeling that from the top down is exciting."
The 2025 Bears season will mark 40 years since the season that involved the last Super Bowl victory for the Bears. Odeyingbo said the mission is to make that happen again.
"The vision is championships," he said. "You know, this city wants a Lombardi, and I feel like that's the goal for everybody in the building. That was big to me, especially in free agency, to want to go somewhere that wants to win."
Matt Zahn
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Matt Zahn joined CBS2 Chicago in October 2016 as a sports reporter and fill-in sports anchor, and what a time to come to Chicago. Matt arrived just as the Cubs won the World Series.