Getty Jayden Reed, Packers second-round draft pick
Phew!
For Packers fans, it’s always a comforting thing to watch the Bears squirm, and even with a W finally under their belts, they’ve only now resolved a major issue—sitting on a one-time budding star receiver, Chase Claypool, whose relationship with the team crumbled to the point that they asked him to go home and stay there.
Finally, Chicago traded Claypool on Friday to the Dolphins, for the scant price of a swap of the Bears’ seventh-round pick for Miami’s sixth-rounder, in 2025.
Trade! The Chicago Bears are trading WR Chase Claypool to the Miami Dolphins, per league sources. It will be a 2025 6th from Miami for Claypool and a 2025 7th from Chicago.
The empathetic among Packers fans might take little joy in Bears schadenfreude, but even if that’s you, it is worth remembering that you have another reason to be happy that Claypool’s antics unfolded in Chicago—and that reason is that it all could have been happening right there in Green Bay.
Yes, ESPN’s Adam Schefter dusted this nugget off for Twitter this week: “Both the Bears and Packers offered a second-round pick for Chase Claypool last year, and the Steelers ultimately accepted Chicago’s offer. Green Bay ended up using their second-round pick to select Michigan State WR Jayden Reed.”
Both the Bears and Packers offered a second-round pick for Chase Claypool last year, and the Steelers ultimately accepted Chicago’s offer. Green Bay ended up using their second-round pick to select Michigan State WR Jayden Reed.
A Disaster Averted for the Packers
The Bears got the sum total of 10 games from Claypool over the past two seasons, and he contributed a scant 18 catches and 191 yards in that span, with one touchdown. Claypool had tallied 62 and 59 catches in his first two seasons in Pittsburgh, during which he posted two seasons of more than 850 yards receiving. But with the Steelers’ quarterback situation in flux and Claypool not taking the reins as a No. 1 option, Pittsburgh fielded offers for him.
The Packers were considered to be the frontrunners for Claypool, and were known to be in the market for a receiver. But because the Bears were more likely to have the more attractive second-round pick, the Steelers went with Chicago’s offer. That proved wise because, even though the Packers disappointed last season, the Bears cratered and went 3-14.
Pittsburgh used that pick, the first pick of the second round, to draft Joey Porter Jr., who has been coming along slowly but has shown promise.
Jayden Reed Showing Promise
Reed has been thrown into the fire a lot more quickly, which is not a big surprise given his nature as a competitor at Michigan State. He does not have the size or speed to be a No. 1 receiver, but he can work well from the slot or outside, and won’t get beaten much in either position.
Ahead of the NFL draft, the league scouting report on Reed went like this:
Reed looks smaller in many of his matchups, but he is rarely deterred by size. He’s too tight-hipped for stop-start routes on the tree, but he operates with good route speed and should improve his ability to separate with additional development and experience on the next level. His ball skills and feel for positioning on deep throws and jump balls are unquestioned.”
Reed has more immediate results than Porter Jr., with 12 catches for 203 yards and two touchdowns to his credit. Nine of his catches have been for first downs and his average of 16.9 yards per reception is tops among receivers on the team. He has an overall grade at Pro Football Focus of 69.0, which is second on the Packers’ receiving corps, behind only Romeo Doubs.
Reed had two touchdowns in what looked to be a breakout performance in Week 2 against the Falcons, but two drops against the Saints was a stark reminder that he’s a rookie.
Still, he is a happy and productive member of the Packers, which is a lot more than can be said of Claypool in Chicago.
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