Newcomer Zaccheaus working his way into the Bears receiving conversation

Throughout his career, Bears wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus has had a knack for being in the right place at the right time. He’s found ways to serve as a Swiss Army knife wide receiver for his team regardless of what offense he’s played in.

It hasn’t happened by accident.

Zaccheaus realized early in his career that in order for him to make an impact in the NFL, he’d need to learn what every wide receiver does on every play. He wanted to be ready to make an impact wherever the ball reached him on the field.

“That’s always how I’ve been as a player, just being able to know every position, knowing where you need to line up and just as we get more reps, just keying in on the little details has been a big thing for me,” Zaccheaus told reporters at Halas Hall in Lake Forest on Wednesday. “I view things big picture-wise so if they move me to a different spot I know the concept. I’m not learning a new play.”

It’s the reason Zaccheaus’ name keeps coming up since the start of training camp. Zaccheaus has built a strong relationship with quarterback Caleb Williams and has served as a safety net in various instances.

That connection was on display during the final session for the first-team offense Wednesday. The Bears started a drive at their 30-yard line with the game tied at 10-10 with 1:16 left in the second quarter.

After Williams completed a pass for a first down to wide receiver Rome Odunze to start the drive, he and Zaccheaus locked in for the rest of the drive. Williams completed four passes to Zaccheaus, which helped the Bears kick a field goal as time expired in the second quarter.

Zaccheaus showed his experience and how he can be a safety net for Williams during that scoring drive. He became open when Williams faced pressure and knew when to run out of bounds or hurry the ball back to the center. He even batted down a ball in the air so it couldn’t be intercepted.

“The thing is just processing the situation, knowing how many timeouts you have, knowing when you have to get the ball back into the ref for the center and knowing when you have to get out of bounds and stuff like that,” Zaccheaus said. “Just being locked in on the situation is a big thing in that drill.”

His preparation and role in the offense is why his name continues to pop up. It’s also why he’ll be very important for Williams this season.

Zaccheaus plays the “F” receiver position in head coach Ben Johnson’s offense. Not only does that receiver need to know what every wideout does on each play, but he also needs to know who’s in the backfield as well as all the intricate details of a play.

“It’s a lot that goes into that, being the F receiver,” Bears assistant coach and wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle El said. “That’s why you see it showing up with him a lot, because he has understood it. He’s getting in the spot where he needs to be all the time and he’s able to make the plays. I believe he’ll continue to do that as well.”

He’ll need to continue to do it in order for Williams to have a big season in his second year. While defenses focus on top Bears weapons like wide receivers DJ Moore, Odunze and Luther Burden III and tight ends Cole Kmet and Colston Loveland, Zaccheaus will present an option that could get lost in the shuffle.

It’s worked so far in camp. But Zaccheaus is sticking to what he’s always done: getting ready for whatever is asked of him.

“I just go out and focus on my routine and just play ball,” Zaccheaus said. “That’s all. And really do my best.”

Battle for left tackle:

The left tackle competition got a new look Wednesday as the Bears coaches switched things up. Returning starter Braxton Jones, Theo Benedet and Kiran Amegadjie each took snaps at left tackle, while rookie Ozzy Trapilo spent Wednesday working at right tackle.

Bears coaches said earlier in camp they wanted to see how Trapilo would do at the right tackle spot. Jones and Benedet split snaps at left tackle with the first team as Benedet has impressed the coaching staff midway through camp.

“There’s a lot of things to really like about (Benedet),” offensive line coach Dan Roushar said. “He’s had probably as much improvement as any player we have in the group. With that, there’s a lot of things for him to improve on and he knows that and we’ve got to work on it. He is working his tail off. He has put himself in a position to go compete for a job somewhere in this group.”

Practice notes:

Williams and the first-team offense responded from a slow start with a few strong performances toward the end.

The unit continued to have pre-snap issues during its second 11-on-11 session. It was called for two penalties before the snap and then there was a fumble on a snap that Montez Sweat caused and ran to recover. Those pre-snap issues continued with the rest of the offense.

Johnson said before practice the penalties weren’t just a Williams or a quarterback problem. His staff has thrown a lot at the offensive with its new playbook, and Johnson believes Williams has progressed well.

“if we struggle at all in the huddle getting the play out, then yeah, the delays are going to pop up,” Johnson said. “And that’s a little bit part of the learning process of us growing. But by design, we have made this very challenging and hard. And we know what we need to do as a staff to alleviate some of that pressure. I think Week 1 we’re going to be in a good spot.”

Williams had a good 11-on-11 red-zone session where he connected for three completions with Odunze, including a touchdown. Williams completed a couple passes in the next session and then the first team ended the day with a good situational drill showing as well.

Injury update:

Johnson gave an update on cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon on Wednesday. He said Gordon (hamstring), who left Thursday’s practice, is week-to-week with the hope of having him back before camp ends, while Jaylon Johnson (leg) was progressing well.

“He is right on track,” Ben Johnson said of Jaylon Johnson. “Everything I said last time. He is right on track. He is right where he needs to be. It’s really, like I said, those type of injuries, you don’t know short term, long term. Everyone is a little bit different. But I think we’re going in the right direction right now.”

Wide receiver Miles Boykin returned to practice after missing the past week. Amegadjie was a full participant after returning to practice in limited fashion Monday.

Running back Roschon Johnson (foot) continued to miss practice, while running back Ian Wheeler also didn’t participate. Safety Tysheem Johnson, linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga, rookie cornerback Zah Frazier (personal) and rookie defensive tackle Shemar Turner (ankle) all also missed practice.