Rob Maaddi, The Associated Press
The National Football League trade deadline turned into a frenzy on Tuesday. No fewer than 15 teams completed 10 trades involving 12 players and several draft picks.
Canadian receiver Chase Claypool, defensive end Bradley Chubb, tight end TJ Hockenson, wide receiver Calvin Ridley, who is suspended, and running back Nyhiem Hines are the main players to have changed clubs before the deadline of 4 p.m.
Claypool, who hails from Abbotsford, B.C., moved from the Pittsburgh Steelers to the Chicago Bears, who traded linebacker Roquan Smith on Monday to the section-leading Baltimore Ravens (5-3). North American Association. Subsequently, the Steelers acquired cornerback William Jackson from Washington.
In return for Claypool, the Steelers get a second-round pick in the 2023 draft.
The trade gives Bears quarterback Justin Fields a prime target on the long runs and aims to help the club’s deficient air attack, last in the NFL with an average of 126.9 yards per game.
Clayppol has caught 32 passes for 301 yards and a touchdown this season. He also threw the first touchdown pass of his career on a trick play in a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
The six-foot-four footballer became available following the emergence of rookie George Pickens, who quickly established himself as the Steelers’ No. 2 receiver, pushing Claypool to No. 3.
Claypool was a revelation in 2020 after being selected in the second round, scoring 10 touchdowns, including eight passing, in his first 10 games. The Steelers had then won their first 11 meetings, en route to the title of the North American section.
He’s struggled to keep up the pace, though: Claypool has scored just four touchdowns in his last 29 games.
A complex exchange
The Dolphins improved the defensive and offensive units by acquiring Chubb from the Denver Broncos and running back Jeff Wilson from the San Francisco 49ers.
The Dolphins (5-3) are trying to catch the AFC-leading Buffalo Bills, who got Hines from the Indianapolis Colts.
The Minnesota Vikings (6-1), NFC North Division leaders, added Hockenson after placing Irv Smith’s name on the disabled list.
The Atlanta Falcons (4-4), first in the National Conference South, traded Ridley to Jacksonville in a complex trade.
Ridley was suspended in March, for at least the entirety of the 2022 season, after a league investigation determined he bet on NFL games in 2021 while he was away. away from the team due to mental health concerns. The league said the suspension will last at least until the end of the 2022 season.
According to a person briefed on the trade, the compensation the Falcons will receive from the Jaguars will vary between a 2024 second-round pick and a sixth-round pick.
The position of the pick will take into account when Ridley will be reinstated, how many games he will play in 2023 and whether or not he will have signed a long-term contract with the Jaguars.
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With contributions from Will Graves, Associated Press