Suddenly the Chicago Bears went totally off script as they acquire wide receiver Chase Claypool from the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Bears have been in full tear down getting rid of anything not bolted to the floor and collecting draft picks. Has the ghost of Ryan Pace just entered Ryan Poles’ body? The old regime is suddenly haunting the new regime at Halas Hall. The Bears’ new brass and the old clowns have not done any favors for their young quarterback, Justin Fields. In the off season, the new Bears regime sent Justin Fields out to the Wolves with no improvements to a much in need of help on the offensive line. Fields is working with one of the worst receiving cores in the history of the Chicago Bears. No wonder Muslim Muhammad once said Chicago is where receivers go to die. Somehow Fields is still walking vertically, and the offense of the Bears has come to life in the past few weeks. With this trade, adding Claypool means the Bears front office and the coaching staff think Fields is the guy of the future. Bears fans have been down this dark road for decades. Claypool is not exactly the boobie prize for Fields and the Bears offense. Instantly he becomes the Bears’ number one guy who they do not have. How many teams in the entire NFL would have Claypool as the number one? Steelers season is in shambles like the Bears and Claypool is not even the number one guy there.

I like to think that Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback X-Bears QB Mitch Trubisky wished Chase Claypool good luck with a smirk on his face seeing him head off to Chicago. Maybe a chuckle by Trubisky with a recommendation of a good pizza place in the Windy City. The Steelers, with of course a savvy front office, get a second round pick for Claypool. It is what they used to draft him in 2020. Steelers do well at drafting a football team. Steelers know how to draft wide receivers. Unfortunately, the Steelers drafted talented wide receivers that are head cases. The Steelers are quick to cut off the zombie bitten infested legs when things go sour with some of these head cases they have gathered over the years. We all remember what A.J. Brown did last year wearing a Buccaneer uniform. Steelers felt the law firm of Ju Ju Smith-Schuster was unraveling at the seams so they let him walk off and he may be a Chiefs’ problem in the future. Remember Plaxico Burress shot himself in the foot while he was a New York Giant. Steelers drafted great citizens as well as Hines Ward, one of the best blocking receivers in the game that caught many balls as well. This year Steelers are happy with rookie George Pickens and Diontae Johnson has been on the rise. Steelers have a rookie quarterback developing in Kenny Pickett. Perfect time & perfect season to cut ties with Chase Claypool.

With Ben Roethlisberger, Chase Claypool came into the league in 2020 like gangbusters out of the University of Notre Dame. Claypool, now 24 years old, had 62 catches with 873 yards. This during his rookie campaign with 9 touchdowns. Roethlisberger last year in the game did not have enough gas in the tank to throw the ball deep. In 2021, Claypool had 59 catches with 860 yards and only two receiving touchdowns. Big Ben retired. Steelers went with X-Bear Mitch Trubisky as they already mixed in rookie Kenny Pickett behind center as Claypool through 8 games has 32 receptions with 311 yards and only one touchdown grab. Claypool would be second on the Bears charts this season as Darnell Mooney has 25 grabs for 364 yards. Last season, Justin Fields’ rookie season only played in ten games. Last year, the Bears offense with 10 starts by Fields, Andy Dalton, and Nick Foles behind center the team finished 27th in the league in points. The Bears’ 2021 offense was 24th overall in yards gained. This year Fields has played in every game and the Bears are 23rd in points while falling to 27th in yards gained. Claypool should help the Bears overall offensive numbers improve.

This trade the Bears made landing Chase Claypool baffles me. I like the fact that Green Bay wanted Claypool and the Bears got him by paying more. Green Bay’s season is in the crapper so they don’t have a leg to stand on to throw their two cents in the ring. Then I think of when Ryan Pace got fleeced by the 49ers to give San Francisco a pick just to move up one spot to draft Mitch Trubisky. Steelers sell off their pool for the same amount they paid for it. While the Bears usually have to pay double for someone to take their pool from their backyard. My biggest fear is Claypool is a cancer to the locker room. This Bears team right now will overhaul most of this roster by next season. I think someone on Bears coaching staff thinks they can fix Claypool who thinks he is a number one receiver. Congratulations. Claypool is the number one receiver on the Bears roster. Darnell Mooney I love, but he’s a 2 or a 3. I think Claypool is a 2 or a 3. If Bears go out and draft or sign a number one free agent receiver next year adding him to the mix with Mooney and Claypool, you now have a nice core. Let’s not forget about addressing the offensive line that I keep harping about. Justin Fields and Claypool have 9 more games this season, so they could really get to know each other very well. If they can get on the same page, this move can be golden by the time the Bears add the pieces around them. I hate overpaying and using draft capital on ideas that are bad. This trade only cost the new regime one draft pick, but an important second rounder. I like gambling on some players which you have to do sometimes to get your team over the hump. This move may be too soon for the Bears to jump into the Claypool. They may belong right now in the kiddie pool.