From Newsweek · Keagan Stiefel · · 1m 30s
The Falcons' emergency QB is a wide receiver
Atlanta's injury luck got so bad that Olamide Zaccheaus is third on the depth chart at two positions he doesn't play.
In brief
Atlanta's injury luck got so bad that Olamide Zaccheaus is third on the depth chart at two positions he doesn't play. When injuries stack up at one position, NFL teams fill the emergency slots with whoever is versatile enough to fake it, and Zaccheaus drew both jobs. Originally reported by Newsweek.
A receiver with two spare jobs
Olamide Zaccheaus is back in Atlanta on a two-year deal after starting there as an undrafted free agent. He is now listed as an emergency quarterback and an emergency running back.
“Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus is a modern day renaissance man.”
He is not the first read
Targets run through Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts. Zaccheaus sits behind all of them in the passing game, which is part of why he was free to take the emergency roles.
Schefter made it official
ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the double emergency designation ahead of Sunday's season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Two quarterbacks, that's it
Injuries to Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. left Cooper Rush and Jack Strand as the only active quarterbacks on the gameday roster.
“The Falcons have been forced to reach deep in their bag of tricks”
The starter is already hurting
Rush starts despite back spasms over the weekend, with Strand backing him up. Zaccheaus is one more injury away from taking snaps.
“Zaccheaus will be praying that they don't both get hurt.”
The running back room is thin too
Bijan Robinson and Brian Robinson are the only true running backs active, so one injury there also pushes Zaccheaus into a job he doesn't play.
“things could get really nutty if anyone goes down with an injury”
The key point
When injuries stack up at one position, NFL teams fill the emergency slots with whoever is versatile enough to fake it, and Zaccheaus drew both jobs.
