Kelly: Dolphins Hope to Unlock Claypool's Physicality on Offense
Wes Welker couldn’t wait for Wednesday’s practice to start because the team’s newest toy had a ton of cramming to do.
That’s why the Miami Dolphins’ receivers coach kept going over the play calls being installed with Chase Claypool during the pre-practice stretch.
Where does Claypool line up when such and such a play is called?
What’s the assignment on this call?
Claypool’s implementation into Miami's offense could enable the NFL’s best offense after five weeks to find another gear because of his abnormal size (6-4, 238), which could unlock a new segment of the playbook since Miami’s stable of receivers previously lacked size.
"He looks like a vending machine out there when he's running routes," Tyreek Hill joked.
The Dolphins have spent this week leaning into discovering Claypool’s capabilities, which is why he’s been attached to Welker’s hip the past two practices.
"He's a big fast wide receiver with a good catch radius," Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith said. "He has a complete set of skill sets, and now we're just teaching him how we operate."
What role could Claypool fill?
Miami would benefit from Claypool becoming a bulldozer as a blocker because second-level blocks have fueled Miami’s top-ranked rushing attack.
At one point, Welker, who revolutionized the slot position during his 12 seasons as a player before becoming a coach in 2017, was illustrating a blocking stance for the fourth-year veteran, who the Dolphins acquired from the Chicago Bears for a 2025 swap of sixth and seventh-round picks.
“There’s a lot of motion, shifts, two motions, before the ball is snapped. I’ve been doing a lot of studying,” said Claypool, who has started 32 of the 49 NFL games he's played, and has produced 2,235 receiving yards and scored 15 touchdowns on 171 receptions. “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.”
The Dolphins represent a fresh start for Claypool, who quickly ran out his welcome in Chicago, which traded the 32nd pick in the 2023 NFL draft to acquire him last October.
The Bears were ready to move on, and so was Claypool, who is earning $2.99 million this season.
Diva reputation is hard to shed
In Chicago there were criticisms about his maturity, and worth ethic.
According to multiple insiders, Claypool never mastered the Bears offense, and allegedly ran the wrong routes plenty, along with loafing as a blocker.
There were concerns whether his focus was on becoming the best football player he can be, or becoming social media famous.
Is this alleged diva receiver going to fit into Miami’s locker room, which generally does a good job of policing itself?
Diva receiver reputations are easy to gain, but hard to shed.
And without elite on-field production, those types of talents are given the cold shoulder in the NFL.
So expect Claypool to be on his best behavior for the remainder of this season, which leads into him becoming an unrestricted free agent in the offseason.
“I know I’m a good teammate. I don’t have to do anything extra…I don’t have to do too much to try and prove that,” Claypool said. “Just be myself, and I’m excited about being around a new group of guys and showing them what I can do.”
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel runs a fairness loose organization, one where the reins loosens the better a player performs.
However, his offense is complex, and if Claypool can’t master it, Miami will quickly move on. But it appears he’ll be given small doses of the offense in these early stages.
“He seems like a pretty smart guy. What school did he go to again?” Jaylen Waddle said, referring that Claypool is a Notre Dame product, and the Fighting Irish have higher academic standards than most major college football programs.
“Just being a piece in the big puzzle to a lot of moving pieces and trying to make this offense better than it is,” Claypool said. “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.”
