Steelers fleece Bears (again) in trade for Justin Fields

Steelers GM Omar Khan has the Bears number in these trades.

When Justin Fields failed to impress in what became his final season with the Chicago Bears, people began to speculate what they would want in return for the quarterback’s services. Chicago holds the first overall pick and has been linked to USC’s Caleb Williams for months.

A 2024 second-round, third-round — maybe more? Too steep for the Pittsburgh Steelers, who were in the market for a starter after Mitch Trubisky’s release, followed by trading Kenny Pickett.

That quickly changed as QB-needy teams began to acquire their new signal callers and the market for Fields softened. The Bears also steadily lost leverage as they backed themselves into a corner with the idea of drafting Williams.

This is when General Manager Omar Khan made his move. Despite already signing Russell Wilson, Khan saw an opportunity to fleece the Bears again and they took it. The Steelers ended up landing Fields for a sixth-round pick in 2025 that could potentially turn into a fourth if Fields plays more than half the snaps in 2024.

This follows up Khan convincing the Bears to give up a second-round pick for Chase Claypool in November of 2022. The Steelers turned that pick into cornerback Joey Porter Jr. So in essence, the Steelers traded Claypool and a sixth-round pick for Joey Porter Jr. and Justin Fields. Not too shabby.

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Dolphins free agent profile: Is Chase Claypool’s time up in Miami?

Is less than a full season all the wideout will get in Miami?

The Miami Dolphins have a slew of players who are expected to hit free agency this month, including a wide receiver who was acquired in the middle of the season – Chase Claypool.

Claypool, 25, was originally a second-round selection of the Pittsburgh Steelers following a collegiate career at Notre Dame.

He burst on the scene in 2020, recording 62 receptions for 873 yards and nine touchdowns as a rookie, and it looked like he was on a trajectory to be one of the best in the game. Instead of taking off over the next two seasons, his production waned, and he was traded to the Chicago Bears midway through the 2022 season for a second-round pick (used on cornerback Joey Porter Jr.)

Claypool’s numbers dipped even more in Chicago, as he recorded just 18 receptions for 191 yards and a touchdown in 10 games.

Miami traded a 2025 sixth-round pick for Claypool and a 2025 seventh-round pick this past October. Injuries kept him out of some games, and he was a healthy scratch for others. He ended up appearing in nine contests for the Dolphins, bringing in four receptions for 26 yards.

Mike McDaniel’s team only has two experienced wideouts returning next year (Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle), so they could use the depth. Claypool will be inexpensive, but considering how his career has gone to this point, it feels unlikely that he’ll ever recapture that rookie magic.

The Dolphins could still bring him back on a cheap, one-year deal with no guarantees to have him compete for a spot on the roster or practice squad, but he shouldn’t be a large part of the team’s future plans.

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Grading the Dolphins wide receivers after their 2023 season

A look at Miami’s wideouts, and the year they had in 2023.

The Miami Dolphins finished their 2023 campaign with an 11-6 record and made the postseason for the second time in as many years under head coach Mike McDaniel. Unfortunately, it came to an end with a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the wild-card round.

While other teams are in the midst of their playoff run, it’s time to do some reflecting on the team in South Florida.

Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll be reviewing and evaluating different positions for the Dolphins in 2023. Today, we’ll look at the wide receivers.

WR Braxton Berrios leads list of Dolphins’ inactives vs. Raiders

Here’s who won’t play on Sunday.

The Miami Dolphins, after a week off, are set to play in the 10th game of their 2023 campaign on Sunday, as they return home to Hard Rock Stadium for an afternoon battle with the Las Vegas Raiders.

For the matchup, the Dolphins have listed seven players as inactive, including wide receiver Braxton Berrios.

Joining Berrios on this list are right guard Robert Hunt, running back Jeff Wilson Jr., tight end Durham Smythe, offensive lineman Robert Jones, wide receiver Chase Claypool and quarterback Skylar Thompson (emergency third QB).

Miami and Las Vegas kick off at 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS

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Raiders, Dolphins final injury report: LT Kolton Miller, LG Dylan Parham both Questionable

Raiders LT Kolton Miller, LG Dylan Parham both Questionable vs Dolphins

Whether the Raiders will have their starting left side of the offensive line has been in question all week. Now it’s official — LT Kolton Miller and LG Dylan Parham are both Questionable for Sunday’s game in Miami.

Coming off the injury report entirely was Amik Robertson who suffered a concussion in last week’s game against the Jets.

The Dolphins will be without WR Chase Claypool, and offensive linemen Rob Hunt and Rob Jones.

Podcast: Recapping a Bears win, Justin Fields’ progress and Chase Claypool

The Bears finally won a game! We recap the win, break down Justin Fields’ performance and discuss the Chase Claypool debacle.

The Chicago Bears finally won a football game, snapping a franchise-worst 14-game losing streak with an exciting win over the Washington Commanders in prime time.

Quarterback Justin Fields appears to have turned a corner. Fields has shown impressive improvement in the passing game against the Denver Broncos and Commanders, where he’s completed 67 percent of his passes for 617 yards with eight touchdowns and one interception. He’s tied for the second-most touchdown passes (11) among quarterbacks through the first five games.

Receiver DJ Moore had a standout performance with eight catches for a career-high 230 yards and three touchdowns, where his connection with Fields flourished.

While Matt Eberflus’ future in Chicago remains uncertain, there’s no doubt that the team showed up for him as they got a well-deserved victory.

On the latest episode of our Bears Wire Podcast, host Ryan O’Leary (@RyanO_Leary) and myself (@AlyssaBarbieri) recap the win, break down Justin Fields’ progress (and whether to build around him) and discuss the Chase Claypool debacle.

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Bear Necessities: Chase Claypool lacks accountability for struggles in Chicago

Former Bears WR Chase Claypool explained what went wrong in Chicago. We recap Thursday’s headlines.

This is our online morning newsletter, Bear Necessities. Subscribe to get the latest Bears news delivered to your mailbox every day.

What’s the latest with the Chicago Bears?

Former Bears receiver Chase Claypool, who has traded to the Miami Dolphins last week, met with Miami media to address a number of topics. One of those was what went wrong in Chicago. Rather than take accountability for his actions, he simply blamed the team’s 14-game losing streak.

Here’s a look at the most recent and relevant Bears stories for the morning of Oct. 13.

Tyreek Hill called Chase Claypool a ‘vending machine’ and NFL fans are trying to figure out what he meant

Tyreek Hill meant this as a compliment of Chase Claypool … right???

Now on his third NFL team in four seasons, veteran receiver Chase Claypool is busy trying to prove to the Miami Dolphins that he’s worth all the apparent trouble he caused in previous stops with Pittsburgh and Chicago.

According to Dolphins superstar Tyreek Hill, Claypool is seemingly succeeding in his latest mission at redemption. Though, I’m not quite sure what Hill means when he tries to endorse his new teammate. Stay with me here.

On Thursday, after Dolphins practice, Hill likened Claypool to a “vending machine.” Uh, OK? I’m positive Hill meant this as a compliment, but … what could that possibly mean? Is it because he’s a large human being at a listed 6-foot-4, 238 pounds? I mean, I guess, but surely there are better ways to describe large people in a complementary way.

I, for one, would’ve perhaps chosen a superhero or a giant tank, for example. But that’s just me.

After catching under 200 yards in his time with the Bears — and failing to produce much of anything of note since his rookie season with the Steelers in 2020 — Claypool’s got a lot of ground to make up in Miami. At the very least, he seems to be winning some of his Dolphins teammates over, even though I’m not quite sure if they know how to describe him properly.

Former Bears WR Chase Claypool explains what went wrong in Chicago

Chase Claypool failed to take accountability when explaining why things didn’t work out with the Bears.

Former Bears receiver Chase Claypool’s time in Chicago was nothing short of a disaster. Whether it was a lack of on-field production (and effort) or off-field concerns, Claypool just wasn’t a good fit with the Bears.

Following concerns in the first three games, Chicago benched Claypool for two games before finding a trade partner in the Miami Dolphins. The Bears and Dolphins swapped late-round draft picks in 2025.

During Claypool’s introductory press conference with the Dolphins, he was asked what went wrong in Chicago. And his answer completely lacked accountability.

“I think that when you lose a lot of games in a row, there’s frustration naturally,” Claypool said, via Dolphins Wire. “That’s new for everybody, I’m sure, from the top down. I think just being excited about getting some wins and stuff like that, I think that just comes naturally. Once you start winning, things start getting less frustrating, obviously.”

Claypool’s issues stem beyond his lack of on-field production, which amounted to 18 catches for 191 yards and one touchdown in 10 games. There were some internal issues, including Claypool being difficult in meetings and coaches had trouble getting him to buy into his role on offense, as reported by NBC Sports Chicago.

There’s no doubt that a 14-game losing streak can take a toll. But using it as an excuse for his actions illustrates why Claypool is now with his third team in four years.

It’s certainly an interesting coincidence (or not) that the Bears offense has been at its best without Claypool on the field the past two weeks. It’s allowed for more 12-personnel, which has been a part of Chicago’s new-look identity and success on offense.

The most frustrating thing about the whole thing is the Bears ultimately wasted the No. 32 pick in last year’s draft for a player who never helped elevate the offense. But, as general manager Ryan Poles has learned, sometimes you swing and miss.

Everything WR Chase Claypool said in his first Dolphins’ media availability

Here’s what the team’s newest WR said on Wednesday.

Just a week ago, the Miami Dolphins made another trade that could end up having a major impact on the team down the line, as they acquired wide receiver Chase Claypool from the Chicago Bears.

Claypool had been a healthy scratch in the weeks leading up to the move due to clashes with the coach and a poor fit in their organization.

Since then, Claypool was on the sideline for Miami’s win over the New York Giants, and on Wednesday, he spoke to the media for the first time since joining the Dolphins.

Here’s everything he had to say: