National Football League

Why the seller Bears became a buyer for Steelers WR Chase Claypool

Updated Nov. 1, 2022 3:21 p.m. ET

Left is right, down is up and the Chicago Bears are now buyers at the trade deadline. Hours before the 4 p.m. ET cutoff, Chicago reportedly sent a 2023 second-round pick to Pittsburgh for wide receiver Chase Claypool.

After the Bears traded their two defensive captains in Roquan Smith and Robert Quinn over the past week, many thought Chicago was purely a seller, going all-in on a full rebuild and already looking ahead to 2023.

It made sense. The Bears had increased their draft capital to nine picks and are estimated to have more than $120 million in cap space for 2023. That's by far the most of any team, nearly doubling that of the New England Patriots for next season. Next year is more likely to be Chicago's year than this one.

But apparently general manager Ryan Poles wanted a head start on building around quarterback Justin Fields. Despite Fields being brought in by the previous regime, it seems the current one is sold on him after steady improvement in offensive coordinator Luke Getsy's system so far this season. Fields had the highest passer rating of his career on Sunday in Dallas, completing 17 of 23 passes for 151 yards, two touchdowns and a 120.0 rating.

All that's missing from him taking the next step is more weapons.

The question was whether the Bears were going to address that need this year. With the hold Minnesota has on the division and Chicago still adjusting to its new regime, this was supposed to be a building-block year. The roster was stripped down to the studs, with the last two major pieces departing this past week in Quinn and Smith. So why get Claypool now?

This past offseason, the wide-receiver market exploded with Christian Kirk setting the precedent on an $84 million deal in Jacksonville. The deals only went up from there and will likely continue to do so. Sure, the Bears will have the most money to spend in free agency this upcoming offseason but getting a guy to jell with your quarterback now on a team-friendly deal makes at least a little sense. Claypool's remaining contract this season is just $673,000 while his 2023 base salary is set to be around $1.5 million. It's a low risk for a potential impact player on Chicago's offense.

The Bears also still have eight draft picks in 2023, including a second-round pick they acquired from the Ravens for Quinn last week. They sent their original second-rounder to Pittsburgh to likely sweeten the deal as Chicago should ultimately be picking higher.

The Bears have the league's worst passing offense, averaging just 126.9 passing yards per game, while simultaneously having the league's top rushing offense, averaging 188.4 yards on the ground each week. Against the Cowboys, Fields finally found a groove through the air but was met with crucial drops and missed assignments. Third-round pick Velus Jones Jr. dropped what could have been a touchdown in the second quarter.

Now, Claypool has the opportunity to help lead a group that also has Darnell Mooney, N'Keal Harry and Equanimeous St. Brown — and should get Byron Pringle off of injured reserve in the coming weeks.

The Bears play the Dolphins at home on Nov. 6.

Carmen Vitali covers the NFC North for FOX Sports. Carmen had previous stops with The Draft Network and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. She spent six seasons with the Bucs, including 2020, which added the title of Super Bowl Champion (and boat-parade participant) to her résumé. You can follow Carmen on Twitter at @CarmieV.