The Chicago Bears traded a 2nd round pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for wide receiver Chase Claypool. GM Ryan Poles stated his belief the deal was worth it because Claypool is a unique talent. His blend of size and speed is something the Bears don’t have enough of. He represented the kind of target Justin Fields could use to continue getting better. There have been flashes of this since his arrival, but not nearly enough to justify the price tag in the minds of many fans. Claypool has 12 catches for 111 yards in five games. Perhaps Matt Eberflus shares the same feelings.
That isn’t entirely true. The Bears’ head coach has shown himself to be patient with players that might not be progressing at the speed everybody prefers. Fields himself is the perfect example. The young QB was struggling through the first month of the regular season. Eberflus preached patience, insisting with enough time, Fields could turn it around. Now he’s playing like a budding star. He expressed a similar message when it came to Claypool. He isn’t where he needs to be, but he’ll get there with time and hard work.
“I wouldn’t say he’s there yet. I would say he’s getting there. He’s getting there and working there just like everybody else. But again, it’s all new to him and there’s a lot of volume of offense that he has to learn and he’s getting there.
He needs alignment, assignment and get all the things down, the route depths and the routes, the discipline of running the routes. He’s in a good spot. He’s in a good spot. We’re looking forward for him to get better every single week.”
Matt Eberflus is eyeing the future with Claypool.
Everybody knows the Bears aren’t going anywhere this year. They’re 3-10 and out of the playoff race. The goal now is getting the receiver acclimated in the offense. That is why these final four games are crucial. It offers a big chance for Claypool to build chemistry with Fields while mastering the intricate route combinations the system demands. It’s clear he doesn’t yet grasp where to line up in certain situations and what routes to run. That shouldn’t be unexpected. Going from one playbook to another midseason isn’t easy.
It doesn’t help that the Bears are a run-first team. They barely throw the ball 20 times per game. That doesn’t give many opportunities for a wide receiver to make plays. Fans may want big plays and numbers, but sometimes it’s unrealistic. Matt Eberflus isn’t focused on what Claypool is right now. He is thinking about what Claypool can become in the near future. The Bears were always thinking long-term with this move. They will work through the obstacles with him and expect he’ll be in a far better place by next fall.
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Let me get this straight Ghost. You’re saying a qb targeting his best receiver more often than the rest makes him a bad qb? Travis Kelce has a bad qb? Cooper Kupp? Marvin Harrison? Jerry Rice?? I don’t think so.
This is something I’ll admit I’m not sure how it works, but it would seem to me that you could create 4 or 5 plays for him that he could pick up fairly quickly. (Not that terrible bubble screen though) I get that they want him to learn the entire offense and get that down, but that doesn’t appear to be realistic over the next 4 games. Maybe limit the option routes for him. Let him be the big, physical target he is and go make plays. There isn’t a lot of nuance to running go routes. Beat the jam… Read more »
The Shanahan offense is an intricate offense and can take a while to learn as it’s been stated several times. But the Bears modified the offense to fit JF1s skill set and therefore aren’t running a true Shanahan offense. Even Trent Dilfer who reviews and studies the tape every weak stated that the passing offense is as elementary as it comes and that he could learn it in 24 hours. He stated the route concepts are very basic and they don’t do anything fancy out there. He was rather baffled that it’s taken as long as it has for Claypool.… Read more »
Fans need to remember that it took a month into the season for players who had been through training camp to get this offense right. Claypool is a signing for next year, with the added benefit of extra time to learn the playbook. He should be completely ready when camp opens next year. Any production this year is a bonus.
This offense is not complicated. Maybe the ACTUAL playbook is more complex but not what they’re running now. Claypools issue isn’t the offense. It’s the guy not throwing him the ball. Fields targets Mooney the most, then everyone else is only seeing a couple targets each. Check the stat lines folks. This is a Fields issue. He’s running the ball 15+ times a game and only throwing it 20. Low wide receiver productivity is a byproduct of this type of QB play.