Miami's Reported Plan For Chase Claypool Reeks Of Desperation

Chase Claypool faces a dire situation. In the span of less than a year, he saw two organizations run him out of town. Pittsburgh traded him to Chicago, and Chicago has now traded him to the Miami Dolphins. That is a big red flag for somebody with his natural gifts. It speaks to the concerns about his maturity and work ethic that have followed him for years. Miami might be his last chance to make any sort of impression. If he also fails there, the stigma will follow him for the rest of his career. Teams won't want to sign him because they know he's an underachiever who isn't worth the trouble.

Even Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel admitted the trade wasn't done because his team needed wide receiver help. So why then? Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports offered some insight. It appears Miami may try shifting Claypool over to tight end.

It might make sense from a body-type standpoint. Claypool is 6'4, 230 lbs, and runs with 4.4 speed. Tight ends like that always tend to provide mismatches in the passing game. There is one problem. Tight ends are required to play a more physical style, both as a receiver and blocker. As we came to see over his ten games in Chicago, that isn't exactly Claypool's calling card.

Chase Claypool is another in a long line of wasted talents.

If he had the same drive as somebody like Justin Fields, the guy could be one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. He is that talented. The problem has always been motivation. He's content to lean on his natural gifts to carry him throughout his career. Unfortunately, that isn't enough at this level. Or at least it's not enough to get the big bucks. Based on what we've seen, the odds of Claypool resurrecting his career as a tight end in Miami are remote. He might make a handful of catches the rest of the season, but he'll never be a primary option in that offense.

One can't fault the Dolphins for trying. More offensive weapons are never a bad thing. Still, this plan feels like an act of pure desperation. It's an admission that Chase Claypool isn't anywhere close to good enough to see the field as a wide receiver on that team. His only prayer is switching positions. If he had the work ethic, it might work. Given his reputation up to this point, it's best not to hold out hope. He will likely be a free agent next year and begin the journeyman loop of signing one-year deals with multiple organizations.