Claypool: I'm excited to join Dolphins after frustrating Bears tenure
Wide receiver Chase Claypool is eager to prove himself with the Miami Dolphins following an unceremonious end to his time with the Chicago Bears.
"I think that when you lose a lot of games in a row, there's frustration, naturally," Claypool said Wednesday after his first practice with the Dolphins, per the Miami Herald's Daniel Oyefusi and Barry Jackson.
"Being excited (to get) some wins … just comes naturally," he added. "And once you start winning, things start getting less frustrating, obviously."
Prior to the trade, the 25-year-old said he didn't think Chicago was putting him in the best possible position to succeed. The wideout was made a healthy scratch and told to stay away from the team following his comments.
Miami acquired Claypool in an Oct. 6 trade that included a late-round pick swap.
Claypool said he's "excited for the new opportunity" to work with head coach Mike McDaniel and a talented offense that features Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill, and Jaylen Waddle. Fellow wideout River Cracraft is on injured reserve, and Erik Ezukanma remains on the non-football injury list.
Claypool burst onto the NFL scene, catching 121 passes for 1,733 yards and 11 touchdowns in his first two seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, the Notre Dame product struggled to provide a significant impact after being dealt to Chicago last November, recording 18 receptions for 191 yards and one score in 10 games.
McDaniel is taking an open-minded approach to Claypool's role in the offense.
"I think we'll see what that looks like, because (you) don't have that many reps in a regular-season game of this at the receiver position, specifically," McDaniel said.
The Dolphins coach also clarified that the 6-foot-4, 238-pound Claypool will line up at receiver after speculation that he could moonlight at tight end. However, McDaniel didn't rule out the possibility of a position switch.
"If he's able to execute certain things, I'm not going to limit a player to what he can or can't do," McDaniel said.
Claypool was inactive in Week 5. He could make his debut this Sunday when the Dolphins play the Carolina Panthers.