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The Cincinnati Bengals failed in 2024, going 9-8 and missing the playoffs despite having the league’s leading passer in Joe Burrow, a Triple Crown winner at wide receiver in Ja’Marr Chase and the NFL sacks leader in Trey Hendrickson.
It’s reasonable to think the Bengals will take pains to make sure that doesn’t happen again in 2025. That will include being aggressive in free agency, where they’ll likely have to find a replacement for star wide receiver Tee Higgins, who played 2024 on a franchise tag and with Chase in line for a record-setting contract after having one of the best seasons for a wide receiver in NFL history.
In that void left by Higgins, ESPN’s Ben Solak thinks the Bengals should seek a veteran wide receiver who might be to help in a “by committee” approach to WR2 behind Chase, with Washington Commanders wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus one of the names floated.
“After making a valiant effort to re-sign Higgins but eventually getting priced out, the Bengals will make Chase the league’s highest-paid receiver with a five-year, $180 million deal,” Solak wrote on January 6. “And they’ll actually guarantee some of his 2026 base salary to make it possible. I also expect the Bengals to take some low-risk, potentially high-reward stabs at secondary pass catchers after Higgins leaves. They could be a great fit for Olamide Zaccheaus, Rondale Moore or Darius Slayton.”
From ACC Star to Undrafted NFL Free Agent
Zaccheaus starred at Virginia from 2015 to 2018, where he was a 2-time All-ACC selection and led the ACC with 93 receptions for 1,058 yards and 9 touchdowns as a senior.
Despite that success and likely because of his size at just 5-foot-8 and 193 pounds, Zaccheaus went undrafted but ended up making the roster for the Atlanta Falcons in 2019 under current Commanders head coach Dan Quinn.
Zaccheaus spent the first 4 seasons of his career with the Falcons before struggling in 1 season with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2023, where he had just 1o receptions for 164 yards and 2 touchdowns in 17 games.
Quinn and Zaccheaus reunited on a 1-year, $1.275 million contract with the Commanders in 2024 and he’s become a key role player on the way to making the NFC playoffs with 45 receptions for 506 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Most importantly for the Commanders, Zaccheaus has been playing the best football of his career down the stretch. Washington closed the season on a 5-game winning streak in which Zaccheaus had 21 receptions for 266 yards and 3 touchdowns. That included 2 touchdowns in a 36-33 win over the Eagles in Week 16 and a season-high 8 receptions for 85 yards and 1 touchdown in a 30-24 overtime win over the Falcons in Week 17.
Zaccheaus is also durable. He hasn’t missed a regular-season game since 2020, playing in 68 consecutive games over the last 4 seasons, including a career high 13 starts for the Falcons in 2022, when he had a career-high 533 receiving yards.
Commanders Set For Prime Time Playoff Game
Zaccheaus will get another chance to up his value in the offseason as the Commanders try to win their first playoff game since 2005 with a prime time NFC Wild Card matchup at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on January 12.
The Commanders lost to the Buccaneers, 37-20, in the 2024 season opener with Zaccheaus only catching 1 pass for 16 yards.
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