Chase Claypool has enough talent to be one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. It’s incredible how fast things have fallen apart for him. He was a favorite target in Pittsburgh for two years. However, by 2022, his standing in the Steelers locker room had lessened. Head coach Mike Tomlin was tired of him. So, they traded the receiver to the Chicago Bears. GM Ryan Poles needed a weapon for Justin Fields. He felt head coach Matt Eberflus had the kind of high-demand approach that could help Claypool mature.
Almost one year later, Claypool was sent away from the team and asked not to return. It is evident at this point that he likely played his last down in a Bears uniform. The fall has been spectacular. Most believe it came from the receiver’s comments that the coaches weren’t doing enough to utilize his talents. In truth, that was merely the final straw. It seems this decision to shut Claypool down came from months of building frustration. Eberflus’ comments during his latest press conference make that clear.
“It comes down to this. When you’re evaluating players in meetings, in practice, in walk-throughs, all those things, it’s important that you evaluate the entire body of work, right? And we just feel that right now Chase is going to be out of the building, it’s best for our football team…
…When I came here Day 1, I talked about being on time, being respectful and working hard. That, to me, is important for every individual — if it’s a staff member, a player or a coach.”
This failure is not on Matt Eberflus.
He’s been responsible for several issues with the Bears this season. Claypool isn’t one of them. The wide receiver already had a reputation for maturity issues even before he got to Chicago. People had questioned his effort going back multiple seasons. His lackluster effort as a blocker and remarkable inability to win one-on-one matchups in tight coverage is confounding. It never looks good when Equanimeous St. Brown outblocks you, and D.J. Moore posts similar stats in less than half the number of games played.
Addition by subtraction is a real thing in sports sometimes. Is it a coincidence the Bears played their best offensive game of the year once Claypool was out of the picture? Maybe a little, but it’s obvious the offense functioned better without him. One of two things will happen now. Either the Bears will trade him or they’ll release him. Matt Eberflus has made it clear there is no avenue back to the field for Claypool. Not in Chicago, anyway. While his handling of the media hasn’t been great, the head coach is correct in this decision.
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