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The Philadelphia Eagles have been named a top potential trade destination for current Chicago Bears wide receiver Chase Claypool.
According to NFL insider Matt Lombardo of FanBuzz, the Eagles could consider adding the 25-year-old wideout as depth behind A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.
“No one is going to pay a high price for Chase Claypool,” an NFC East scout told Lombardo. “I don’t know which teams would even really need him. But, if you look at teams like Philadelphia or Kansas City, maybe even Detroit … Teams making championship runs could view him as a quality backup or depth piece.”
Chase Claypool Has Had a Rough Start to the 2023 Season
Chicago sent a second-round draft pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers for Claypool just before the trade deadline last year, and it simply hasn’t worked out. He caught 14 passes on 29 targets for 140 yards in seven games with Chicago last season, and it hasn’t gotten much better this year. In three games with the Bears so far, Claypool has four receptions on 14 targets for 51 yards and a score.
Since the 2023 season began, Claypool has already been at the center of multiple negative storylines. The 6-foot-4, 238-pound receiver was widely criticized for his lackluster blocking and overall poor performance in Chicago’s Week 1 loss to the Green Bay Packers. He apologized to his teammates the week after for his lack of effort.
Then, on September 29, Claypool was asked if he felt the team’s coaching staff was using him in the right way, and he shook his head and said: “No.” He was benched by the Bears shortly after that and told not to return to practice ahead of the team’s Week 5 matchup against the Washington Commanders.
Claypool was also involved in multiple fights during Chicago’s training camp ahead of the season, so his entire tenure in Chicago has been a rough one.
Would the Eagles Want to Risk Adding Chase Claypool?
The Steelers selected Claypool in the second round out of Notre Dame in 2020, and after he accumulated back-to-back 800-yard receiving seasons his first two years in the league, his numbers fell off and the team decided to cut ties. Claypool also had issues while in Pittsburgh, though.
His work ethic was criticized, and Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin benched Claypool in 2021 for a childish and unnecessary roughness penalty the wideout committed against former Minnesota Vikings cornerback Bashaud Breeland.
Eagles WRs coach Aaron Moorehead has a strong history of bringing the best out of his receivers, but would head coach Nick Sirianni and company want to risk messing with team chemistry after a 4-0 start?
“The Eagles have a strong locker room and a well-established competitive culture that could light a fire under Claypool, along with the need for a third receiving option to emerge out of the wide receiver room,” Lombardo wrote.
That’s debatable, but also possible. Multiple NFL insiders, including Jay Glazer and Jordan Schultz, have said the Bears want to trade Claypool, but it’s clear a late Day 3 pick would be all they’d be able to get — if that. Chicago could wind up cutting the veteran wideout, so patience could be key if the Eagles have any real interest.
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