The Chicago Bears have been very active ahead of the NFL’s trade deadline, shipping out two of their defensive stars in Robert Quinn and Roquan Smith to contenders for draft picks in return.
However, on Tuesday afternoon they turned into buyers as they decided to take a swing on some much needed wide receiver help for Justin Fields, sending a second round pick to the Steelers for Chase Claypool.
Comp update: Bears traded a second-round pick for WR Chase Claypool, per source. https://t.co/eH6UEidGh9
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 1, 2022
The #Bears are trading for #Steelers WR Chase Claypool and are returning a 2nd-round pick, per league source. @FieldYates 1st to report.
— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) November 1, 2022
Claypool is a big bodied deep threat that the Bears desperately need considering Fields’ greatest strength as a passer is his arm talent and ability to push the ball down the field, where Chicago didn’t have any true deep threats on the perimeter. Claypool has had a slow start to the 2022 season with 32 catches for 311 yards and one touchdown, but that is at least in part due to the Steelers having one of the worst quarterbacking situations in the league with Mitchell Trubisky starting the season and now Kenny Pickett taking snaps under center.
The biggest question of this deal is what second round pick is headed to Pittsburgh, because the Bears’ pick could be extremely valuable (possibly a top-40 selection), while if it’s the pick they got from Baltimore in the Roquan Smith deal, it’s of at least a decent bit lesser value. In any case, it’s a big commitment to Fields and trying to give him a chance to continue his growth this season by pairing him with a receiver who, in theory, can do the things no one else on the Bears roster can. Whether Claypool can become a true No. 1 receiver remains to be seen, but the Bears are going to at least try to be more dynamic on offense and that’s a good thing for Bears fans.