It is not like the Miami Dolphins needed another receiver, but they certainly got one in Friday morning's trade with the Chicago Bears. Miami dealt for the struggling Bears wideout known as Chase Claypool. Despite being a college star at Notre Dame and a former high draft pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers, he was essentially dealt to the Dolphins by the Bears for a bag of footballs.
Chicago essentially dumped Claypool's contract in an exchange of day-three picks in 2025. It was a disaster class in asset management by Bears general manager Ryan Poles, who initially paid a premium for a devalued asset before further depreciating said asset to the point of it scraping along at rock bottom. All the while, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel just got himself a new weapon...
McDaniel spoke with the media on Friday after news of his team acquiring Claypool in a trade.
"That's an exciting opportunity. For us, it felt like a situation where there might be a role to carve out for him. Then I think, for the player, you have a guy that wants to take things into his own hands and have an opportunity to be on a team."
Of course, he was not expecting to add another wide receiver to the roster, but it presented itself.
"We definitely weren't looking for receiver help. It wasn't in that nature at all. Very, very happy with our receivers corps. But I think one thing that (general manager) Chris (Grier) and I have always agreed upon and how we operate and do business is you have to stay steadfast to the commitment of making your team as good as it can be."
Keep in mind that Miami already employs the likes of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle at wide receiver.
Mike McDaniel speaks about Miami Dolphins trading for Chase Claypool
Claypool may be every bit a wide receiver at the professional level, but he is now playing for a team that is largely positionless at the skill-position roles, outside of quarterback, of course. We know that Hill and Waddle can be used and implemented in a multitude of ways offensively. Just get the ball into their hands, and good things will happen. Claypool's addition is fantastic for Tua Tagovailoa as well.
As long as the Dolphins' defense plays up to snuff, this team could be going places. The offense should carry this team back into the postseason, but how good of a job they do playing complementary football will determine Miami's overall playoff viability. The good news is they seem to have a cutting-edge head coach offensively in McDaniels, one who specializes in the running game.
Ultimately, this is every bit the low-risk, high-reward trade for the Dolphins. To give up a future late, day-three pick for a former top-100 draft selection out of Notre Dame by the Steelers offers so much upside. He may not be a No. 1 wide receiver, but he has a better chance of being Mapletron in South Beach than he ever did in Chicagoland. If he can keep his head on a swivel, this move could work out.
Look for McDaniel to design plays to get the ball to Claypool in space to make something happen.
