Grading the Bears’ trade for Steelers WR Chase Claypool
The Chicago Bears are trading away young players for draft picks one day and doing the exact opposite the next. Nearly 24 hours after shipping out linebacker Roquan Smith to the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for two draft picks, the Bears turned around and acquire wide receiver Chase Claypool from the Pittsburgh Steelers. Chicago sent the Steelers their own second-round pick to secure the big-bodied pass catcher that will hopefully become a prime target for quarterback Justin Fields for the foreseeable future.
Claypool was selected by the Steelers in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, just a few picks after the Bears selected his Notre Dame teammate tight end Cole Kmet and one spot ahead of cornerback Jaylon Johnson. Claypool has had a productive couple of years in the league, totaling more than 800 receiving yards in each of his first two seasons and scoring 11 total touchdowns, but was beginning to fall behind receivers such as Diontae Johnson and George Pickens.
In eight games this season, Claypool had 32 catches for 311 yards and one touchdown, as well as one passing touchdown with the Steelers. He had been a rumored trade candidate for well over a month and Pittsburgh finally cut bait when they received an offer they felt was acceptable.
The Bears decided to bolster their offense with Claypool while also stripping away parts of their defense by parting with Smith and Robert Quinn in less than a week. Was it a good move to finally acquire a player instead of draft picks? Here is how we’re grading the trade out of the gates.
Trade details
Oct 30, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool (11) celebrates his touchdown pass against the Philadelphia Eagles during the first quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Bears receive:
WR Chase Claypool
Steelers receive:
2023 second-round pick
Initial grade: B+
Oct 23, 2022; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool (11) runs with the football during the second quarter against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
Was Claypool worth a high second-round pick? If all things were equal, probably not. But the market for wide receivers in the NFL is getting more lucrative by the day. The once promising 2023 free agent class is now baron since all of the top options were either dealt or signed extensions with their current teams. With the position value going higher and higher, the trade market has never been hotter. Teams are getting in bidding wars for the productive players who actually are available, meaning resources are limited. The Bears needed to part with their own second-round pick for Claypool because if they didn’t, another team like the Green Bay Packers would have. That’s the price of doing business these days.
Still, the Bears aren’t getting some bum or anything like that. Claypool has had a nice start to his career and has proven to be a matchup nightmare at times at 6-foot-4. He may not yet have hit the highs of other members of his draft class like Justin Jefferson, CeeDee Lamb, Michael Pittman Jr., or Tee Higgins, but he’s had his moments on an offense that has looked very mortal the last few seasons. There are some reports about him having an attitude problem, but nothing concrete has ever surfaced, aside from his poor decision to celebrate a first-down reception in the final seconds of a primetime game that cost the Steelers a shot to win.
That being said, at just 24-years old, Claypool’s best days are still ahead of him and he’ll be under the Bears’ control for a year and a half at least. Poles made this trade in the hopes they can keep Claypool long-term, though. With him occupying the outside and allowing Mooney to work out of the slot more often, the Bears passing attack just became significantly more lethal.
Claypool is a fine weapon for Fields to work with and frankly, it was the best move on the table for the price. The Bears were always going to have to overpay in some capacity for a receiver of Claypool’s skillset so it shouldn’t bother anyone that it took a second-round pick. It’s good to see Poles finally make the decision to give the offense more talent. We knew it was coming eventually, but that time is now.
