It was a shock when the Chicago Bears traded for Chase Claypool last October, giving up their high 2nd round pick in the process. Plenty of people chided them for it. When he struggled to produce during his time on the field down the stretch, things got worse. Many have already said the Bears got fleeced in that deal. GM Ryan Poles remained steadfast in his decision. He believes Claypool has more than enough talent and proven experience to become a valuable piece in the Bears’ offense.
That isn’t entirely wrong. The receiver is still only 24 years old and was averaging at least 800 yards per season before 2022. His ability was never in question. Most believe it’s been a question of work ethic and maturity. He hasn’t yet buckled down and committed himself to be great. Nate Tice of The Athletic is one of the better tape studies out there. He also believes there was another problem. The Bears didn’t quite know how to use Claypool. Tice broke down why to Bernstein & Holmes for 670 The Score.
Chase Claypool is often at his best when he gets the ball quickly.
What Tice says is true. Go back and watch that performance against Philadelphia in 2020. He scored four touchdowns that afternoon. Pittsburgh had a ton of success running jet sweeps, quick outs, screens, and slants. What’s interesting is the Bears used Claypool in that fashion during his debut against Miami. There was some success too. For whatever reason, they didn’t expand on that much in the following weeks. It felt like they were getting back to some of it against Green Bay when he had five catches in the first half. Then he got hurt.
By the time he returned, the season was over and Justin Fields was banged up. It feels like this off-season will be the perfect opportunity. Chase Claypool can build a proper connection with his new quarterback. More importantly, offensive coordinator Luke Getsy can dig into the game tape and learn which plays fit his new receiver the best. The Bears assistant has said he wants to tailor his scheme to fit his player’s strengths. Don’t be surprised if the Bears start using Claypool in that fashion next season.
Subscribe to the BFR Youtube channel and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
I agree with Tice, Claypool needs a full training camp to get in tune with Fields and Getsy.
I sure hope so… If he doesn’t produce as a key #2 this was just an awful trade.
It’s easy to examine trades and drafts in hindsight. And, frankly, the jury’s still out on Claypool’s value to the Besrs. We’ll know if Poles made a decent move or not by mid-season.
This would have been a better-calculated risk (fairer value trade), if the Bears traded the Baltimore 2nd round pick instead (almost certain bottom half 2nd round projection at the time). Poles got desperate to jump Green Bay. I would have been onboard with that trade, even considering Claypool’s underperformance this half year. The Bears passing offense was a mess this season, so putting that mostly on Claypool seems unreasonable.
I see with my eyes not my hands. Jury still out on Claypool for me. Pittsburg doesn’t just get rid of players for no reason. They either aren’t as good as they thought or locker room distractions. I’ve already seen him flare up on Bears sideline. Jury’s out on him.