BEARS WR CHASE CLAYPOOL TRADED TO THE MIAMI DOLPHINS
The Chicago Bears have traded WR Chase Claypool to the Miami Dolphins, the teams announced on Friday. In an anticlimactic move for the Bears, Chicago sent its seventh-round pick in 2025 and Claypool to the Dolphins in exchange for Miami’s 2025 sixth-round pick.
The news ends a short one-year stint in the NFC for Claypool after joining the Bears via a midseason trade last year. Chicago traded their 2023 second-round pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers for Claypool on November 1st. The 6-foot-4 wide receiver now joins the team he faced in his debut with the Bears, the Miami Dolphins.
Claypool’s tenure in Chicago has been disappointing to say the least. The British Columbia native managed only 191 total receiving yards and one touchdown in 10 games with the Bears. The Bears were winless in all ten games.
Chicago Bears General Manager Ryan Poles said ahead of the team’s Thursday Night game against the Washington Commanders that he wished Claypool luck moving forward in his career, a statement that underscored a gloomy end to the four-year veteran receiver’s time in Chicago.
“I always look at things from a player’s perspective,” said Poles. “You have a player going into his free agent year, who wants to be productive and help us, and when things aren’t going the right way, sometimes you get emotional, things don’t work out and you struggle to blend in and keep resilient and stay resilient with the rest of the crew. I think Chase is going to learn from this situation, we all will, and I wish him luck moving forward throughout his career.”
Claypool was inactive for the Bears’ 40-20 win against the Commanders on Thursday.
The 25-year-old has been a healthy scratch in the Bears’ last two games after he only managed 4 catches for 51 receiving yards and one touchdown in the first 3 games against the Green Bay Packers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Kansas City Chiefs.
The former Notre Dame standout got into trouble ahead of the Bears’ Week four game against Denver when he told the press at his locker on Friday that he didn’t think he was being utilized correctly in Chicago’s offense. Asked by a reporter if he had been put in the best position as a receiver to showcase his abilities, Claypool stayed silent as if in thought, shook his head and said simply, “No.”
Bears head coach Matt Eberflus told reporters on Monday that Claypool being away from the building and the team was what “was best for the football team.” The second-year head coach said he informed Claypool via the phone that he wasn’t going to be active for the team against the Broncos before the weekend. A process which was repeated on Monday regarding his availability against Washington on Thursday night.
“I would just say that [is] what we think is best for the team and how we operate here as a football team,” said Eberflus. “As the Chicago Bears, when I came here [on] day one, I talked about being on time, being respectful and working hard and that to me, is important for every individual, if it is a staff member, a player or a coach and that’s where we are. We feel right now this is the best decision for us.”
Claypool is thus expected to slot into the most explosive offense in the league right away. Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel spoke about the acquisition on Friday and was optimistic that Claypool’s “disciplinary/locker room” issues are not going to be a problem.
“I think that’s an exciting opportunity,” said McDaniel. “It’s kind of like Christmas, in terms of, I don’t know anything so when Chris [Grier] comes to me about something that he has on the docket, we have good discussions. For us, it felt like a situation where there might be a role to carve out for him. I think [what’s] important for the player, you have a guy that wants to take things into his own hands and have an opportunity to be on a team.”
“Everybody hears things, and so I think it’s very, very important that you let people tell you who they are. And I see better than I hear. There’s so many things that can go on in certain circumstances… I’m not going to make myself wrong with something that I don’t know by judging X, Y, or Z. We give you the opportunity to define who you are in the most honest, organic, real way possible and that’s open mind, clean slate, let’s go.”
“He’ll start as a Dolphin and be able to earn whatever place he wants in the locker room, based upon his actions on a daily basis…. It’s always a nice litmus test for your locker room when guys come in; you can see where you’re at. I’m very confident that our guys will embrace him and we’ll move forward with a new teammate.”
The Miami Dolphins lost fourth-string wide receiver River Cracraft and second-year wideout Erik Ezukanma to the injured reserve and non-football injury lists ahead of their 48-20 loss to the Buffalo Bills in New York last week but head coach Mike McDaniel made it clear that they weren’t necessarily “looking for receiver help.”
“It was an opportunity to take advantage of,” said McDaniel. “We definitely were not looking for receiver help. It wasn’t in that nature at all, [we’re] very, very happy with our receiver corps. But I think one thing that Chris and I have always agreed upon, and how we operate and do business, is you have to stay steadfast to the commitment of making your team as good as it can be.”
“So sometimes things come across your radar that you aren’t even looking for, but when you assess it, if it falls under the category of: this has a chance to make us better.”
Over the last three years, Claypool has been a shadow of his rookie self after a stellar first year with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Claypool posted 873 receiving yards and 11 total touchdowns in his first year in the league before his career was suddenly marred by “locker room/attitude” issues, which eventually sent him to Chicago for a high second-round pick. The Bears are expected to save an estimated $2.2 million against the salary cap by trading Claypool.
While the situation with a struggling 1-4 Bears team wasn’t ideal for a player looking to resurrect his career, joining the no.1 offense in the league will be a welcome change of scenery for the Abbotsford-born receiver. Claypool will have his hands full and is expected to complement a talented supporting cast that includes wide receivers Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Braxton Berrios, and running backs Raheem Mostert and De’Von Achane.
In related news, Miami placed left tackle Terron Armstead on injured reserve on Friday. The 11-year veteran is expected to miss the Dolphins’ next four games after suffering a knee injury against Buffalo last week. Miami next hosts the New York Giants at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday at 1pm ET.
-Maher Abucheri
Twitter: @pabloikonyero
Photo: Elbert Hampton. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.