The Chicago Bears have been hitting the 2022 NFL trade deadline hard. With only a couple of hours left as I write this, the team has traded away its two defensive captains Robert Quinn and Roquan Smith. Ryan Poles received a fourth-rounder from the Eagles for Quinn despite most people claiming Quinn wouldn’t net a return more than a fifth-rounder. Then, Poles sends Smith to the Ravens for a second-round pick and fifth-round pick. This move has now led to a third trade as the Chicago Bears now trade for wide receiver, Chase Claypool.
This offseason, many of us were confused as to what Ryan Poles was doing with the offense. Some, even myself at times, questioned if Poles truly believed in quarterback, Justin Fields. Well, these three moves signify that he either trusts Fields or he sees that he’s been doing everything he can without much help and he wants to see what he can do with a player like Claypool.
As we look at this move, there are plenty of emotions coming in from both sides. However, we need to slow down and look at the actual trade and the big picture of everything. Many fans are screaming on social media that this move is an overpay. I’m here to explain why it really is not.
Chase Claypool can help the Chicago Bears offense now and later
As Ryan Poles sent Robert Quinn and Roquan Smith to other teams, it probably sent a bit of a shock to the locker room. Some players may not have liked seeing these two guys go and might have been feeling that the team was starting a fire sale. A move like this for Chase Claypool signifies a different approach. It means that the team is looking to the future, while also helping bring the development of Justin Fields along. It also means the team is hopefully shifting from defense to offense.
Claypool should bring a skill set to this team that it is lacking. We have seen multiple wide receivers attempt to high-point a ball and come away with an incompletion — essentially a drop. Kmet has had drop issues at times too, but when it comes to contested catches, Claypool seems to make more of them than he drops.
Now, Claypool can come in and help Justin Fields develop faster. It allows Fields and him to develop chemistry this year instead of waiting to find a receiver to pair with him in 2023. This brings me to my second point.
The Chicago Bears just added a wide receiver who is only 24 years old
The joke still remains, that Velus Jones is 80 years old. Well, the Chicago Bears just traded for a 24-year-old receiver who has two years-plus of experience. In fact, Velus Jones will turn 26 years old in May 2023 and Claypool won’t see 25 until July. This matters for many reasons.
This means that Claypool isn’t just a filler. He can be brought in, develop a connection with Justin Fields and will still be under contract in 2023. Having that final year of control is important. It gives Ryan Poles enough time to evaluate the connection between Claypool and Fields and determine if he’s worth extending. Obviously, the Bears have plenty of cap space going forward. Claypool, even with a strong 2022 backend season, shouldn’t break the bank.
In fact, even with a strong 2023 season, I can’t see him being paid more than $16 to $18 million per year. The top wide receiver right now from a salary standpoint is Tyreek Hill who is making $30 million per year. At $18 million per year, he’d be the 20th-highest-paid WR in the league. At $16 million he’d be closer to 25th. In fact, that would put him around the current Allen Robinson contract.
Other teams were in the market for Chase Claypool
The Chicago Bears were not the only team interested in Chase Claypool. In fact, Adam Hoge of CHGO Sports reported on their podcast show that the Green Bay Packers were also in the running for Claypool. This is likely why the Chicago Bears had to give up their original second-round pick as opposed to the Baltimore Ravens’ second-round pick they acquired in the Roquan Smith trade.
There are times that a team has to “overpay” a little to get a player they want. Although I don’t consider it an overpay, the Bears did what was needed to land Claypool and also keep him out of the NFC North. If the Packers acquired Claypool for a second-round pick, I guarantee many of their fans would be ecstatic. I guarantee that many Bears fans would be screaming, “why didn’t Poles get this guy for Justin Fields?”
If the Chicago Bears were able to use the Ravens pick, it would make this trade even better. However, giving up a second-rounder for a player like Claypool isn’t an overpay at all. Not every team can take advantage of the Cowboys and acquire Amari Cooper for essentially a fifth-rounder. That was the one move I still stand on my hill and say that Ryan Poles missed on. Trading a second-rounder for Claypool should not be a miss.
The Chicago Bears will struggle to find anything better in free agency
The Chicago Bears may have over $100 million to spend in 2023, but the wide receiver position is not one that looks great on paper. Adding a player like Chase Claypool to the team now, looks much better than overspending on any of these top names slated to hit free agency in the offseason.
"Nelson Agholor Serling Shepard D.J. Chark Randall Cobb Marvin Jones Julio Jones Byron Pringle Allen Lazard Jakobi Meyers JuJu Smith-Schuster Jarvis Landry"
Out of that group, only JuJu Smith-Schuster looks appealing to me and only at a cost of less than $10 million in AAV. Jakobi Meyers is a little intriguing, but who else are you throwing money at that would be a better acquisition than Chase Claypool?
You may not remember, but Chase Claypool finished with nearly 900 yards receiving his rookie year. He also had nine touchdowns. That was the last year that Ben Roethlisberger had somewhat of an arm. Last year he struggled to find the end zone, but still finished with 860 yards receiving and two scores. He’s not going to be the top-end WR1 that we are wanting for Justin Fields, but he helps Fields develop now while they hopefully either trade for a WR1-type like the Eagles and Dolphins did or they use their first-round pick on another WR.
Any fan would love to see the Chicago Bears draft a WR in 2023
As I mentioned, I am not fully in 2023 NFL Draft mode yet. However, there are four wide receivers currently in my first-round rankings and possibly a fifth. Outside of those four to five guys, the rest look similar to what we saw in 2022 — guys with potential but have many concerns. George Pickens was probably the one guy who had first-round talent, but his off-the-field demeanor was enough to keep teams away.
If the Chicago Bears draft a wide receiver in the first round, that would mean the wide receiver group would look something like this:
- 2023 1st-Round Pick
- Darnell Mooney
- Chase Claypool
- Velus Jones
- Bodies
Those first three on the depth chart would look very good in navy and orange next season, don’t you think? However, this trade for Claypool also means the team can shift away from need a little more and focus on the offensive line with their first-round pick instead.
4 important things to know about Chicago Bears new WR Chase Claypool
4 important things to know about Chicago Bears new WR Chase Claypool. The Chicago Bears made a big trade for Chase Claypool. After the team looked
The point is, that we all wanted the Chicago Bears to focus on receiver and offensive line early in the 2023 NFL Draft. Should they punt WR with the first round, there are not many rookie receivers I’d prefer in the second round over Chase Claypool — a 6’4″ receiver who has solid separation skills and brings the ability to catch contested footballs. He’s not old at all and most second-round rookies will take half a season to three years before they catch on or are declared a bust. This alone screams that this isn’t an overpay.
The potential is there. Now, it’s up to Luke Getsy and Justin Fields to keep unlocking this offense.