The Chicago Bears traded for Chase Claypool in a move that may have been expected. The team was clearly in the market for a wide receiver, and the Pittsburgh Steelers seem to be a wide receiver factory.
Still, that may give some fans pause considering Pittsburgh seems to know when to hold them and fold them at the position. If they are giving up on Chase Claypool, will he be a failure? They may not be as high on him as Chicago is, but there is legitimate reasons to be optimistic about Chase Claypool on the Chicago Bears.
3. Chicago Bears have a better deep ball passer than Pittsburgh Steelers
When you think of Chase Claypool, you think of his size and speed running down the sideline with cornerbacks falling behind him. However, that is not what you think of when you think of Kenny Pickett throwing the football.
Kenny Pickett may be a fine quarterback, and his deep ball may improve, but any scouting report you read on him was more about the quick release, and accurate short-game passing, with less talk about a big-time arm.
That has been proven in the stats. Justin Fields throws the ball 20 yards or more 17% of the time, while Pickett is at 10%. Fields has an adjusted accuracy of 35% on deep balls compared to 28% for Pickett. More than that, Fields has a 16.7% big-time throw rate on deep balls, while Picket is at just 9%.
Fields has similar numbers compared to Pickett in the intermediate as well. The reality is that at this point Justin Fields is more aggressive in the intermediate to the deep field, he is more accurate here, and he creates more big plays here.
That is without Chase Claypool. If Fields is already better in these areas, it could be a sign that Claypool now sees his stats improve in this area.
2. Luke Getsy has been a better offensive coordinator than Matt Canada
Nobody is saying that Luke Getsy is the next Sean McVay or some offensive whiz kid. However, in Pittsburgh, they actually are saying things like that. At the least, a Steelers beat reporter for the Athletic thinks that Getsy is a clear upgrade from what the Pittsburgh Steelers are doing offensively.
Luke Getsy would be an amazing OC for Kenny Pickett. Could have gotten him last year but Steelers kept Canada.
— Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly) October 25, 2022
Are Pittsburgh Steelers reporters wishing they had the Chicago Bears offense? Times are changing. It is probably more about Matt Canada than Luke Getsy, but it appears as though Chase Claypool is going to a better offensive coordinator.
One thing that the Pittsburgh Steelers have done with Claypool is design end around handoffs, and line Claypool up as a tight end. That is one thing that Luke Getsy has done very well, whether it be with Dante Pettis, Equanimeous St. Brown, or Velus Jones.
When you watch those three on their running plays, and you watch Claypool, you do not see that they are better players, but you do see that they have a lot more space to run. That is probably the easiest way to reaffirm that Getsy is better than Canada.
If some of the huge run that Pettis and ESB ripped off this season now go to the better, and bigger athlete in Chase Claypool, he could exceed his rushing total, along with his receiving totals. That will also help the big play total, which is what the game is all about.
1. Chase Claypool is higher on Chicago Bears’ pecking order
When the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Chase Claypool, they already had JuJu Smith-Schuster and Diontae Johnson on their roster. Then, they drafted Pat Friermuth. Then, they drafted George Pickens.
It is really no surprise that the Pittsburgh Steelers have a surplus of skill players when you look at what they commit to it compared to the Chicago Bears. Still, the reality is that it put Claypool in a spot where he was competing for targets in a loaded room.
In Pittsburgh, he was the clear number two behind Diontae Johnson in routes run, and target share. He was barely ahead of George Pickens in both, and Pickens has more air yards on fewer snaps. Beyond that, the team moved him from a 30% slot player to a 70% slot player to make room for Pickens. This has not worked out well.
Now, Claypool is going from somewhere where he was pretty much a third option at best to be the number one or two option in Chicago. He is bigger and can go up and get it, but Mooney is a more refined wideout than Claypool. Either way, the addition of Claypool helps Mooney, and the fact that it is just Mooney across from Claypool helps him as well.
So, Claypool should see more targets in Chicago, he has a passer who fits his skills more, and he the playcalling should be designed to help him. It is fair to expect Claypool to play better in Chicago than he did in Pittsburgh. And they said Chicago is where WRs go to die.