Falcons Sign Olamide Zaccheaus; Bigger Role in 2022?
The Atlanta Falcons are adding some familiarity to their wide receiver room after Olamide Zaccheaus signed his restricted free agency tender Tuesday.
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
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The team tendered wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus at $2.433 million.
Zaccheaus enjoyed his best NFL season to date in 2021, logging 31 receptions for 406 yards and three touchdowns, all career-highs for the former Virginia Cavalier.
Bringing Zaccheaus back is a small move, but a necessary one given the team's lack of depth at the position.
With Calvin Ridley suspended for the 2022 season after betting on games and Russell Gage hopping over to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free agency, the Falcons still have a major hole in the offense, and Zaccheaus returning doesn't fulfill it.
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The team has tried to make moves without trying to break the already tight cap space, signing players like Damiere Byrd, KhaDarel Hodge and Auden Tate, but those players are expected to compete for the final spots in the receiver room while the team drafts a receiver or two early in the draft.
The team could still sign some veterans in free agency like Jarvis Landry, who visited the team earlier in the offseason, or Myles Boykin, who was recently released by the Baltimore Ravens this week, but that will likely be determined by how the team feels about the receivers they draft.
General manager Terry Fontenot adopts a "best player available" mentality, so there's a chance that the team doesn't draft a receiver high and opts to go for other pressing needs, like quarterback and pass rusher.
And that makes a minor move like Zaccheaus coming back a little more significant.
