The Chicago Bears acquired Chase Claypool at the trade deadline for a 2nd round pick. Their plans were obvious. Justin Fields needed more weapons in the passing game to elevate the offense and ease the burden on his legs from running so often. Claypool has the necessary talent to help with that. Unfortunately, the new arrival has been rather silent through his first two games, making three catches and only playing 45 snaps. Some are wondering if GM Ryan Poles made a mistake. Fields quickly squashed that idea.
He made it clear this week that the slow start for Claypool isn’t a surprise. The Bears’ offensive scheme is complex, especially for the wide receiver. There are several different route combinations and adjustments that must be learned. It takes a long time to grasp, let alone master. Asking a guy who’d spent half the season in one offense to absorb another in two weeks isn’t fair. Fields isn’t concerned about it. He thinks Claypool will come around sooner than later. In fact, he’s going to extra lengths to help speed up the process.
Justin Fields’ obsessive work ethic remains underappreciated.
His casual comment on working after practice serves as a reminder of how dedicated the 23-year-old is. When people watch the progress guys like Darnell Mooney and Cole Kmet have made through the first ten games, it’s not an accident. Those two worked more with Fields than anybody else during the off-season and after practice to fine-tune their timing on every single route. It’s led to some excellent production over the past month. Kmet has five touchdowns. Mooney has 223 yards on only 23 targets. The goal is to get Claypool where they are. Once he knows the expectations of his quarterback on every route, his talent should do the rest.
The Bears may have a great chance to get the receiver more involved on Sunday. They faced the Atlanta Falcons and their league-worst pass defense. It offers an excellent opportunity for Justin Fields to maybe pass the ball more often. It makes sense to give Claypool more snaps if that is the case. With Khalil Herbert going on Injured Reserve, the running game might not be as effective anyway. It could be the perfect time to turn this duo loose if the offensive line can hold up.
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