Dolphins free agents 2024: Walk, tag, re-sign - Chase Claypool (2024)

The calendar has moved to March, bringing the start of the 2024 NFL league year and free agency ever closer. Starting at 4 p.m. ET on March 13, players whose contracts expired with the end of the 2023 season will be free to start signing with new teams. The Miami Dolphins have 29 players from their 2023 roster who are scheduled to be free agents, a very high number that could lead to a lot of turnover for a team that has made the playoffs the last two seasons.

Miami also has a salary cap issue this year, projected to be around $29 million over the cap, despite the league’s jump to a $255.4 million limit for the season. That $29 million number does not include any players they decide to re-sign before they hit the free agent market. How the Dolphins will navigate their cap issues while ensuring they maintain the core of the playoff team will be something to watch.

Today, we take a look at a player who Miami acquired during the 2023 season in hopes he could make an impact later in the year: wide receiver Chase Claypool.

As we do each year, we are currently taking a look at each of the Dolphins’ soon-to-be free agents in our “Walk, Tag, Re-Sign” series. We break down the player’s performance in the past season and what could happen in the next year. We then give you a chance to vote in the poll at the end of the article to give us your thoughts on what the Dolphins should do. Also, feel free to jump into the comments to discuss their future with the team as well.

Biography

Chase Claypool

Age (when season begins): 26

Draft: 2020 second-round (49th overall) by Pittsburgh Steelers

Experience: 4 years

Previous Teams:

• Pittsburgh Steelers (2020-2022)
• Chicago Bears (2022-2023)
• Miami Dolphins (2023)

Pro Bowls/All-Pro: None

Expiring Contract

4-years, $6.6 million

2023 Review

Season Total (combined Bears and Dolphins):

12 games played (2 starts)
8 receptions
77 yards
1 touchdown

Dolphins stats:
9 games played
4 receptions
26 yards

The Dolphins traded for Claypool from the Bears in October, sending a 2025 sixth-round pick to Chicago in exchange for Claypool and a 2025 seventh-round selection. Miami’s wide receiver corps was plagued by injuries at the time, including River Cracraft and Erik Ezukanma both landing on injured reserve just before the trade. Claypool spent less than a year with the Bears, who traded a second-round pick to the Steelers for the wide receiver, but he never established himself as a reliable member of their roster and soon found himself inactive on game day. With Miami, the hope was a clean slate, with a chance to start over in a role where he could serve as a support option behind Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle would lead to success. He was inactive for his first two games with the Dolphins as he learned the playbook and got up to speed on the offense, but once he was activated he saw limited playing time on offense, working more on special teams or finding himself inactive again later in the season.

It was not the best performance for Claypool, who could have provided Miami’s offense with a big-bodied target, but it just never seemed to materialize.

2024 Outlook

Claypool’s first two years with the Steelers, when he had 873 yards and 860 yards receiving respectively, seem like a long time ago. He had 451 yards receiving in 2022, split between the Steelers and Bears, then 77 yards last year. Claypool’s flash as a young receiving option seems to have worn off and he is, at best, a role player for whatever team considers him.

Walk, Tag, Re-Sign?

Walk. Claypool has the potential to be a receiving option, but he does not seem to be performing up to that potential right now. The Dolphins need a reliable third option outside of Hill and Waddle, but Claypool does not fit that role. If Miami needs a depth option when they reach training camp and Claypool is still available, maybe he becomes a consideration there, but for now, he should be allowed to hit the open market.