Q. Olamide, first off, welcome back to Philadelphia. I guess how did free agency, that process go for you and what made you decide to sign with the Eagles?
OLAMIDE ZACCHEAUS: Yeah, so just being patient just hearing back from my agent and then, you know, you see an opportunity like this, I just told my agent, let's be aggressive here, let's jump on this, and that's what they did.
Then that was that. That was really what that was.
Q. Welcome to Philly, man. I guess the question I have is: Each year, each season you've improved your numbers. What do you attribute that to, and how do you think you fit into this offense?
OLAMIDE ZACCHEAUS: I attribute that to just work ethic, man, and just learning from each year and each off-season. Just being critical of what I did last year and finding ways to become better. Just having a team that believes in me and is invested in me to help me do that.
You know, there are a lot of people behind the scenes that do a lot of work to help me be in this position right now. I just -- part of my game is being reliable and doing what the team needs me to do, block in, in the slot, catching passes.
You know, so that's how you feel like I fit in the offense. Whatever the team needs me to do, I'll do. I'm confident in what I bring to the table, so see how that looks.
Q. Welcome back.
OLAMIDE ZACCHEAUS: Thank you.
Q. You're a Magnolia guy. I'm a Strapper guy.
OLAMIDE ZACCHEAUS: Really? Hey, right there.
Q. Marcus, having Marcus Mariota here, how does that help you just to obviously have the season you had, career season for you, and having him here just from a stability standpoint? He has some of the same skillset of Jalen Hurts. Obviously Jalen played at such a high level, RPOs, zone reads, things like that.
OLAMIDE ZACCHEAUS: Yeah, just like me and Marcus put in a lot of time together this past year in OTAs, in the off-season, training camp, during the year. So just the line of communication, even if -- even with Jalen and Marcus, it just makes that communication a lot easier.
Just hearing what their perspectives are, how they want certain routes run, and stuff like that. Having Marcus here is a big blessing in order to just make that connection a lot easier.
Q. You played at Prep, right?
OLAMIDE ZACCHEAUS: Sure.
Q. D'Andre Swift, there was some overlap there. How well do you know him and what does it mean to be reunited with him on this team?
OLAMIDE ZACCHEAUS: Yeah, that's my guy, man. Grew up together. Played in high school ball together and won two State Championships together.
Just kept in touch throughout the years, and just I said before, like this is -- everything is happening for a reason, and he's exactly where he should be right now.
I feel the same way. It's just a beautiful opportunity. I kind of talked to him, like just embrace it. Things happen, the nature of the business and whatever.
But this is happening for a reason and I'm glad to be back playing with him, just working with him each day.
Q. How quickly did you two kind of text one another or call one another after you realized you were going to be teammates? Was it pretty quickly after he was traded here?
OLAMIDE ZACCHEAUS: I just know how that can be for someone, so I gave it a little time, probably a day or two before I reached out.
We definitely chatted it up for sure, like soon after the news broke. I would say pretty quickly.
Q. Nice to meet you, man. What have your interactions been like so far with Jalen Hurts and how excited are you to get a chance to play with him?
OLAMIDE ZACCHEAUS: Yeah, interactions, his demeanor in the building is like stoic. I guess that's the word to use. Like he has a calmness about him and it's comforting in a way. I guess I'm kind of the same way in a sense, just go to work and I'm working for one thing: to win.
So obviously like throughout the off-season, OTAs, training camp we'll build that chemistry on the field, but seeing him in the building, how he works, he has had the success he's had for a reason for sure. You see it.
Q. Think back to your time at the Prep. What was your best memory other than obviously winning the state titles, and how much of a role did kind of Eagles have in the fabric of the program? Were you around the Eagles facility at all? Get to know anyone on the Eagles back then?
OLAMIDE ZACCHEAUS: So I would say winning is like the greatest memory I would say. Other than that, just like the camaraderie, brotherhood, not only on the football team, but that whole community is pretty close.
But we would come here like in the state championships and practice in the bubble sometimes, but never really met a lot of players like that. We'd be around, but we didn't really interact with the team that much.
Q. Looking back like four years ago or whatever, when you were coming out of college, some the scouting reports said that your hands weren't where they needed to be. Then you sort of -- this last year, for example, you had no -- you were credited for no drops whatsoever. Curious what you did to go about fixing that or would you just disagree with those initial scouting reports?
OLAMIDE ZACCHEAUS: I wouldn't disagree. Like I was able to catch; always been able to catch. But there was little inconsistencies there coming out of college. Really just working at it, like that's just how I got better at it.
Yeah, just trying to 0-- I think one thing that's been said here is raising that floor, and as far as being able to catch the ball consistently every time, I've raised my floor to a very high level.
So it just came with time and work and just having that confidence in myself that I can do whatever I put my mind to when I work at it.
Q. Just wanted to ask you, you were undrafted, right? And now the process of undrafted free agents coming, what kind of advice would you give to some of the undrafted free agents looking to make a roster?
OLAMIDE ZACCHEAUS: I think one thing I said was just be a sponge. You got to be able to learn quickly. Another thing is, too, making the most out of your opportunities, especially as an undrafted guy. You're going to get very few opportunities.
But like when you get that chance you have to make the most of it. Not end all be all, but it does matter. Definitely seen that throughout the years.
Another thing, too, is just being consistent and finding a way to pop out on film, whatever that may be, making crazy plays or just making routine plays or whether it's your effort on film. You have to do something to make the teams feel like we have to keep this guy. We have to.
So that's just one thing that I focused on, and I was just relentless with it coming out of college. It worked out for me.
Q. Just curious how much you watch other receivers around the league, AJ, Devonta here specifically? Any other spot receivers you keep an eye on?
OLAMIDE ZACCHEAUS: I watch a lot of people. Devonta, Keenan. I watch Cooper Kupp a lot. Even AB in the past, D Smith in the past. You know, each off-season, especially last off-season, I really started to dive into that a lot more, and just like seeing not necessarily what I could take away from those people, but just how they're doing it.
It just helped mentally just seeing like the different ways that you can be successful in the league. Everybody doesn't have the same skillset or is the same height or as fast as each other. That just helped me be confident in what I can do, that what I can do is good enough.
So, yeah, I study a lot of people to answer your question. Not necessarily taking pieces of their game like to the T, what they do.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports