(670 The Score) The Bears have agreed to a deal to acquire receiver Chase Claypool from the Steelers in exchange for a second-round pick, ESPN reported Tuesday afternoon.
Claypool, 24, has 32 catches for 311 yards and a touchdown in eight games this season. He has 153 receptions for 2,044 yards and 12 scores in three NFL seasons. The 6-foot-4, 238-pound Claypool will give Bears quarterback Justin Fields a big target in a Chicago passing offense that has struggled. The Bears are averaging an NFL-worst 126.9 passing yards per game.
Claypool is in the third season of his rookie contract, so he’s under team control through the 2023 season. Pittsburgh selected him in the second round at No. 49 overall in the 2020 NFL Draft.
The Claypool trade continued a busy past week for the rebuilding Bears. On Monday, Chicago traded star linebacker Roquan Smith to Baltimore for a second-round pick and a fifth-round pick. The Steelers will receive the Bears' own second-round pick -- not the newly acquired Ravens second-rounder -- according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media. With the Bears sitting at 3-5 and the Ravens sitting at 5-3 and making win-now moves, Chicago's second-rounder will almost certainly land higher in the draft.
Last Wednesday, the Bears also dealt veteran pass rusher Robert Quinn to the Eagles for a fourth-round pick.
The Bears’ deal to acquire Claypool came just hours before the 3 p.m. trade deadline. Bears general manager Ryan Poles is scheduled to address the media at 4 p.m. Tuesday at Halas Hall.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.
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