Eight days before the draft, the Philadelphia Eagles went out and signed former Falcons wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus to a one-year deal. Many might presume Zaccheaus will be a competition piece for Quez Watkins, but the more I watch him, the more I think he’s already an upgrade over Watkins.
The biggest difference between the two is that Zaccheaus is a much better possession receiver. At all three levels of the field and even along the boundary, Zaccheaus consistently got open. And no matter who was playing quarterback for the Falcons, it seemed they trusted him as a reliable target on third down.
Dylan Matthews, resident falcon fan, made sure to highlight Zaccheaus’ sure-hands and play-strength: “He’s very good at catching the ball in traffic. He’s not huge in stature, but he is big enough, strong enough, physical enough to withstand going across the middle, getting hit, and he’s going to hold on to that football.” For Eagles fans who have seen Watkins struggle in these areas over the last two years, it seems Zaccheaus may prove to be a breath of fresh air in terms of his skillset.
The former Falcon also displays a similar deep-threat capability to Quez Watkins. He may not be as fast, and thus not as good of a vertical-threat, but he’s more reliable in terms of deep route running and hands down the field. Zaccheaus was also a productive player for the Falcons in 2022. Despite being the third receiving option in a run-heavy scheme, he still managed to finish 40 receptions, 533 yards, and 3 touchdowns.
Overall, I think this is a really solid move by the Eagles’ front office. Zaccheaus immediately provides an upgrade over Watkins, for what I’m sure is a low-cost contract. He’s a much better possession receiver, but still provides similar explosiveness over-the-top that Watkins does. I also don’t think this move prevents the Eagles from drafting another receiver in this years’ class. Actually, I think this move means the Eagles don’t have to reach for a WR3 in this year’s draft. If a good receiver falls to the Eagles in this draft, they’re still going to take them.