With DJ Moore, Darnell Mooney, and that version of Claypool, the Bears will have one of the top receiving trios in the NFL. If Claypool can recapture his 2020 form, the trade will have been worth it. That's hard to do in the middle of the season, especially when both he and Fields dealt with injuries. It takes time to become proficient in a new offense and develop a real rapport with your quarterback. You're not adding a hard-throwing reliever or a 3-and-D wing off the bench. It's unfair to judge Claypool based on his production in Chicago last season.
It's just a final look at the real cost of acquiring him. This isn't a critique of the Claypool trade. RELATED: Bears' way-too-early depth chart, roster projections after draft Given the infant state of the Bears' rebuild, Poles would have jumped at the chance to slide back a few spots, pick up additional capital, and still select one of the top edge rushers.īut instead of finding himself in a position of power - as he would at the start of Day 3 - Poles was among the pack of teams trying to climb the ladder back into the realm of Day 1 contributors. Pittsburgh couldn't strike a deal and instead drafted Porter. The Steelers reportedly received several calls from teams looking to move up, presumably to take Levis. When Day 2 of the draft started, several consensus first-rounders remained on the board, including quarterback Will Levis, cornerback Joey Porter Jr., safety Brian Branch, and White.
CHASE JETTISON FULL
It's a safe bet to say it would have been had the Bears been able to hold onto their second-round pick.īut the implicit cost to acquire Claypool, or at least the inability to work the price down, also saw the Bears miss out on an opportunity that Poles has shown he's willing to take full advantage of in the draft: Leveraging a pick to acquire more assets. But given how inept the Bears' pass rush was last season, getting help on the edge figured to be a priority. Poles knew he wouldn't be able to fix everything this offseason. Poles called around to try and move into the top of the second round, but the price was too steep, given the amount of top talent still available.Īs a result, the Bears exited the draft without any pass-rush help on the edge. Poles added three defensive tackles, but the second round was his best chance to add an impact pass rusher. As a result, the Bears could not address their edge-rusher need in the draft. Instead, they watched as the edge rusher flew off the board long before going back on the clock with the Ravens' second-round pick at No. The Bears could have had their pick of the litter at No. The day started with several talented edge rushers still on the board, including Keion White, Isaiah Foskey, and Derick Hall. Poles needed to turn his attention to fixing the Bears' putrid pass rush in the second and third rounds.
The Bears selected Tennessee right tackle Darnell Wright in the first round at No. The first opportunity cost showed itself at the start of Day 2. 32 overall pick cost them in two ways in the 2023 NFL Draft.
But there was no doubt the Bears' second-round pick would be higher than the Ravens'. When Poles made the trade for Claypool, he couldn't have known the Bears would finish with the worst record in the league.
There were only 31 picks in the first round, with the Miami Dolphins losing their first-round pick for violating the league's anti-tampering policy.Īssessing Bears as trade destination for Vikings' Danielle Hunter With the Bears ending the season on a 10-game losing streak to finish with the NFL's worst record, the Claypool pick ended up being the No. That cost reared its head last week in the 2023 NFL Draft. It was a hefty price to pay for a receiver the Steelers were trying to jettison, but it was also a sign that Poles was starting to believe in FIelds and wanted to give him more support.īut the decision to send their own second-round pick, and not the one acquired from the Baltimore Ravens in the Roquan Smith trade, came not only with an implicit cost but also an opportunity cost. The implicit cost to acquire Claypool was the Bears' 2023 second-round pick. Claypool is a big-body receiver who should, in theory, give quarterback Justin Fields a contested-catch receiver he desperately needed. I was in favor of the move when the Bears acquired the 24-year-old wide receiver from the Pittsburgh Steelers at the NFL trade deadline. Such is the case of one of Bears general manager Ryan Poles' most significant moves of his young tenure - the Chase Claypool trade. Sometimes the cost isn't clear until long after completing the transaction.
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