When a team is 3-13, it’s easy to say they have a long road back to competing for the playoffs. Watching the Chicago Bears over the past two weeks saw that reality hit home. Buffalo blew them out 35-13. Detroit blew them out 41-10. Such dismal performances hammer home how bad this roster is. It will take years for them to climb out of the basement. Except not everybody thinks that is the case. One of them is newly-acquired wide receiver Chase Claypool. Unlike most others, he still has somewhat of an outsider’s perspective.
During a Player Profile interview with Jeff Joniak, he was asked about his honest opinion on where the team is and where it’s going. Nobody is happy about the current record. However, he disagrees with the assessment that the Bears are years away from competing. He feels that with a strong off-season, better health, and some younger guys gaining experience, they can make noise in 2023. This confidence stems from the series of games they’ve narrowly lost over the past two months.
Chase Claypool raises a fair point.
The Bears are 3-13 this year. Six of those losses were by a touchdown or less. If even half of those went their way, they’re 6-10 with far more optimism about their potential for next year. They have a young quarterback in Justin Fields that took significant steps forward despite an ugly situation around him. If management can even modestly improve the personnel on offense and defense, they should be able to more than double their win total in 2023. Eight wins should at least get the Bears in the conversations of the playoffs. Remember, one of the Packers, Lions, or Seahawks will reach the postseason with a 9-8 record.
Chase Claypool hopes to be part of that process. The young wide receiver hasn’t exactly had the debut he hoped for when the Bears traded for him. He failed to make a catch against Detroit last Sunday. Some of the problems aren’t on him. Fields isn’t getting the protection he needs. Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy hasn’t helped matters by refusing to fear more plays in his direction. These are all issues that can be ironed out during the off-season. Don’t be surprised if this team looks considerably better next year.
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