Getty New Dolphins WR Chase Claypool broke his silence on his tenure with the Chicago Bears.
Wide receiver Chase Claypool has spoken to the media for the first time since the Chicago Bears traded him to the Miami Dolphins on October 6.
The Bears sent Claypool and a 2025 seventh-round pick to the Dolphins in exchange for a 2025 sixth-rounder after what can only be described as a disappointing and tumultuous 11 months for him and the organization. The Bears didn’t win a single game in Claypool’s tenure with the team, and he didn’t exactly light the field on fire with his play, either.
“I think that when you lose a lot of games in a row, there’s frustration, naturally,” Claypool said, according to The Miami Herald. “I think that’s new for everybody. I’m sure from the top down. So I think just being excited getting some wins and stuff like that. I think that just comes naturally. And once you start winning, things start getting less frustrating obviously.”
Bears Won Their First Game in Nearly a Year After Trading Chase Claypool
Obligatory small sample size caveat. And correlation/causation disclaimer. Fields’ best 2 games came last 2 weeks, when Claypool was not active. May or may not be related. May or may not continue.
But if you are inclined to blame Claypool, this, uh… is promising.
In 10 games with the Bears, Claypool, 25, caught 18 passes for 191 yards and a touchdown. Considering Bears general manager Ryan Poles gave up the No. 32 overall pick of the 2023 draft to add him, his production was substandard and suboptimal.
After arriving in Chicago on November 1, 2022, Claypool never quite vibed on the field with starting quarterback Justin Fields, and the hope was that the speedy wideout would be much better and more effective in Chicago’s offense after an offseason of work. That never happened, and Claypool’s 2023 season went from bad to worse.
He was nationally criticized for his lack of effort, particularly on blocks, in Chicago’s Week 1 loss to the rival Green Bay Packers. Claypool apologized to his teammates later for his poor blocking, but a few weeks later, he publicly stated the Bears weren’t using him correctly. He was benched shortly after that and his days in the Windy City were done.
In his first interview as a Dolphin, Claypool also said he believes he’s a solid teammate, and that he won’t have to do “too much to try to prove that. Just be myself.”
Chase Claypool’s Shot in Miami Could Be His Last
When asked about the talk surrounding Claypool’s recent effort — or lack thereof — Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said the wideout has a clean slate, but he’ll be watching closely. “Everybody hears things. I think it’s very, very important that you let people tell you who they are. I see better than I hear,” the Dolphins coach said.
“He’ll start as a Dolphin and be able to earn whatever place he wants within the locker room based upon his actions on a daily basis. I think our standard of commitment and work ethic, it’ll be very clear what that is,” McDaniel added.
After also getting benched with the Pittsburgh Steelers before he was traded to the Bears, Claypool has yet to live up to his potential after getting drafted No. 49 overall in 2020. If he fails again in Miami, he may not get another shot.
“I always look at things from a player’s perspective,” Poles told Jeff Joniak on ESPN 1000’s Bears pregame radio show, according to Courtney Cronin. “You have a player going into his free agent year, who wants to be productive and help us, and when things aren’t going the right way, sometimes you get emotional, things don’t work out and you struggle to blend in and keep resilient and stay resilient with the rest of the crew. I think Chase is going to learn from this situation, we all will, and I wish him luck.”
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Chase Claypool Breaks Silence on ‘Frustration’ of Playing for Bears