Just a week ago, the Miami Dolphins made another trade that could end up having a major impact on the team down the line, as they acquired wide receiver Chase Claypool from the Chicago Bears.
Claypool had been a healthy scratch in the weeks leading up to the move due to clashes with the coach and a poor fit in their organization.
Since then, Claypool was on the sideline for Miami’s win over the New York Giants, and on Wednesday, he spoke to the media for the first time since joining the Dolphins.
Here’s everything he had to say:
What was your reaction when you got traded?
“I was excited for the new opportunity and excited to work with Coach (Mike) McDaniel and Tua (Tagovailoa) and play alongside (Jaylen) Waddle and Tyreek (Hill) and a bunch of good receivers.”
Did you know any of the guys before you came here?
“I knew Durham (Smythe) and Liam (Eichenberg). I went to school with them at Notre Dame. So I’m excited to have some familiar faces, especially on the offensive side of the ball.”
What have they told you about the offense and the complexity of it and how long do you think it’ll take for you to kind of get up to speed?
“There’s a lot of motion, shifts, two motions, before the ball is snapped. I’ve been doing a lot of studying, and I don’t think it’ll be too long. It is a complex playbook, but I feel pretty good, especially this first day of practice.”
I know that this is a new journey for you, but there’s obviously a lot of talk about the way things ended in Chicago. What do you want people to know about that and just about the person that you are?
“I think I just (will) be the same person I’ve been in terms of being a teammate. I know I’m a good teammate. I don’t have to do anything extra to like – don’t have to do too much to try and prove that. Just be myself, and I’m excited about being around a new group of guys and showing them what I can do.”
Head Coach Mike McDaniel said it’s a clean slate when new players come in. Some of your former Notre Dame teammates were backing for you. What does that say to you when you hear that?
“Yeah, that just shows they know the guy that I am. I always appreciate when former teammates have my back, like Justin (Fields) and the other guys in the locker room in Chicago and then Notre Dame guys. Because I think that’s like the true testament of the person you are, is when your former teammates talk about you in a good way.”
You’re a bit bigger than some of the other receivers. Blocking is a key element in this offense. How would you describe your approach to blocking?
“I love it. I mean, it’s really fun for me, and just trying to polish that every day and become a better blocker. Especially in the interior and going against bigger guys like D-ends or linebackers and stuff, trying to make the most of those opportunities as well.”
What do you think of this offense? You’ve seen what they’ve been doing here in the first few weeks, how excited are you? They have numbers and numbers they’ve been putting up in the record book.
“Just being a piece in the big puzzle to a lot of moving pieces and trying to make this offense better than it is. Anything I can do to that is an awesome opportunity for me, and I’m really excited about that and excited to be a part of it.
“Right, so just make sure that I do my job the right way, full speed. I know they’ll put me in positions to help the offense.”
You were on the sideline Sunday, right? What was it like watching all that speed up close and knowing I get to get in this?
“Yeah. It was a lot of fun, really exciting. Yeah, it got me excited to be a part of it. I was itching to go out there and see it firsthand, but just watching it from the sidelines was super fun.”
What are your impressions of Head Coach Mike McDaniel? A very unique guy, unique head coach.
“Yeah, very like – I want to say laidback, but he’s able to coach really hard in a good way where it doesn’t feel like he’s hounding you. He’s very informative, and he’s just super smart. You can tell by the way he talks. He knows exactly what he’s talking about and makes the game and practice a lot easier.”
What do you think went wrong in Chicago? Why do you think it’s going to be better here?
“I think that when you lose a lot of games in a row, there’s frustration naturally. That’s new for everybody, I’m sure, from the top down. I think just being excited about getting some wins and stuff like that, I think that just comes naturally. Once you start winning, things start getting less frustrating, obviously.”
