When the Chicago Bears traded for Chase Claypool, they did not think that they were trading away the 32nd overall pick in the upcoming draft, but one thing they did think was that it would put an end to their need for a wide receiver.
They thought that between Darnell Mooney and Claypool, they had a 1a and 1b, and they just needed some depth. However, after an injury to Mooney, and the lackluster play of Claypool they enter the offseason with wide receiver firmly on the list of their five biggest needs.
Do Chicago Bears have trade ammo for another WR?
Fans are calling for the team to make a big move, and it makes sense. This obviously hurts when the thought was that Claypool was supposed to be the big move. Fans saying that an A.J. Brown type of move should come this offseason have to realize Ryan Poles thought he pulled that deal off a few weeks early with Claypool. He was wrong.
So, they have Claypool, they need a wide receiver, they are supposed to take a big swing, and the next issue is that the pick they traded for Claypool would be the perfect piece to add a wide receiver this offseason.
There are obvious hypotheticals where the team picks up draft capital from trading back from the number one overall pick. Still, right now Chicago has pick one, and they do not pick again until pick 54.
They did not think they were getting Claypool for pick 32, but they did realize they were trading a top 45 pick for Claypool, so they are not even getting a wide receiver similar to Claypool with pick 54.
As the Chicago Bears currently stand they do not have the real draft assets to add any wide receiver. We know that free agency is not going to answer many issues, and the draft is a crap shoot, especially for Ryan Poles who has already struggled at wide receiver.
So, the Chicago Bears are put in a spot where they have to trade the number one pick if they want to add any wide receiver via trade. It limits exactly what they can do, and if they do address other holes with what they get back, will they have enough to add a legitimate wideout?
Most fans’ dream trade scenarios would involve a pick similar to Chase Claypool. The fact that they are not getting that type of player from Claypool is now hurting the current roster and is hurting their ability to fix the issue.