Olamide Zaccheaus is a reliable, veteran wide receiver who joined the Atlanta Falcons this offseason.
His season debut in Week 1 on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers could come with a bunch of possible twists, though, because of injuries to the Falcons’ quarterbacks and running backs.
News emerged on Sunday morning that the Falcons might actually need Zaccheaus at QB or RB if things go particularly poorly in Pittsburgh.
Olamide Zaccheaus QB or RB?
This is what ESPN’s Adam Schefter posted on X on Sunday morning:
“Cooper Rush will be Atlanta’s starting quarterback today, undrafted free agent Jack Strand will be the backup, and with Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. both inactive, wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus will be the Falcons’ emergency quarterback vs. the Steelers. But Zaccheus’ role doesn’t stop just there. With the Falcons also having only two running backs active today, Bijan Robinson and Brian Robinson, Zaccheus also will be the team’s emergency third-string running back.”
Schefter notes that the Falcons had both Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. as frontrunners in their QB competition, but Penix isn’t fully ramped up from a knee surgery recovery, and Tagovailoa hurt his oblique on Thursday in practice.
Then at running back, the Falcons have been thin all along. Only Trey Sermon is on injured reserve, and he wouldn’t have necessarily been part of the plans. They also have Tyler Goodson and Cash Jones on the practice squad, but neither was elevated for Week 1.
Bijan Robinson is comfortable as a workhorse, and Brian Robinson Jr. is an experienced back, so as long as they’re healthy, it’s a non-issue for Atlanta.
But in the case of multiple injuries at either spot, look out for Zaccheaus.
Olamide Zaccheaus History at QB
Zaccheaus has never thrown an NFL pass, and he has nine career rushes (certainly all on gadget plays) for 42 yards.
In college at Virginia, Zaccheaus was used more often in the backfield. He had 79 rushes for the Cavaliers for 551 yards and two touchdowns in his career in Charlottesville.
He did attempt two passes at Virginia. As a true freshman, Zaccheaus tossed a 15-yard touchdown. Then as a senior, he completed a nine-yard pass.
He attended St. Joseph’s Prep as his high school, and he was a running back there — not a quarterback.
Zaccheaus’ MaxPreps page featuring his high school stats doesn’t show a single pass attempted there, either.
The safe assumption is that if the Falcons get to the unfortunate point of having Zaccheaus in the game at quarterback, he wouldn’t be doing a lot of passing. It’d likely turn into a run-heavy scheme with option plays involving him and Bijan Robinson in the backfield.
It’s unlikely Atlanta gets there, but it would sure be a sight to behold.
How Falcons WR Olamide Zaccheaus Could Play QB, RB in Week 1