Bears $7 Million Playmaker Predicted to be ‘Biggest Bust’ in 2023

The Chicago Bears should boast a markedly improved air attack next season, but it won’t be because of one of the team’s highest-profile additions.

That is the argument Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report made on Monday, July 10, regarding wide receiver Chase Claypool, who the Bears procured at last season’s trade deadline by parting with the top pick in the second round (No. 33 overall) of this year’s NFL Draft.

Claypool caught just 14 passes for 140 yards and failed to find the end zone across seven games with the Bears in 2022, performing far below the value of what Chicago sacrificed to bring him into the fold.

“Right now, you can chalk that up to [Justin] Fields still developing as a passer or Claypool coming in and trying to acclimate in the middle of the season,” Ballentine wrote. “But Fields has to prove he can refine his passing skills this season, and Claypool has had an offseason to get acquainted with the Bears’ playbook.”

Beyond the wideout’s on-field issues last season, the Bears and Claypool have apparently butted heads during workouts this summer.

“Marc Silverman of the Waddle and Silvy Show on ESPN Chicago reported [in June that] there may be some tension between the club and Claypool regarding his work ethic this offseason,” Ballentine continued. “That isn’t promising for a player the Bears need to be a playmaker.”

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Bears Capable of Dynamic Offense Without Bounce-Back Year From Chase Claypool

Claypool needs to pan out this year to render general manager Ryan Poles‘ first substantial trade anything other than a complete disaster, but the Bears should be fine on offense even if he doesn’t.

That is primarily true because Poles’ second major trade, which sent the No. 1 overall draft selection in 2023 to the Carolina Panthers, brought back wideout D.J. Moore who figures to slot in as Fields’ top option. A healthy Darnell Mooney put up better numbers in 2021 than Claypool has during any campaign of his career, and Mooney is on track to be ready come September after suffering a season-ending ankle injury last November.

Beyond that, Cole Kmet and Robert Tonyan each present pass-catching threats from the tight end position, which renders the Bears’ a solid passing attack, at least on paper, assuming an expected developmental leap from Fields in 2023.

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Chase Claypool Can Serve as Trade Chip if Bears Re-Establish His Value Next Season

Claypool is entering the final year of his nearly $7 million rookie deal this season and is bound for unrestricted free agency next March. If he plays well, Chicago will potentially have a choice to make on who they want to pay between Claypool and Mooney. However, there is another option — the Bears could try to flip him.

The biggest problem with that path is that Claypool’s trade value is at an all-time low. His total receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns have descended in each of his first three NFL seasons — falling from 62 grabs for 873 yards and nine TDs with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2020 to 46 catches for 451 yards and one score split between Pittsburgh and Chicago last year, per Pro Football Reference.

Amplified by the rumblings around Claypool’s offseason work ethic as noted above, there probably aren’t many teams — if any — willing to give up much of anything for the 25-year-old pass catcher.

However, if Claypool can get on the field and show glimpses of the player he was as a rookie, the Bears may be able to recoup some of the value they lost when they traded for Claypool — most likely a Day 3 draft pick. Even still, something is better than nothing if the franchise decides it isn’t interested in moving forward with Claypool beyond this season anyway.

The other possibility is that Claypool comes out like gangbusters in 2023, displays chemistry with Fields, proves himself one of the top targets on the team and ends up signing a long-term deal to remain in Chicago. The potential outcomes for Claypool and the Bears vary significantly, with many of them positive for both sides, though all of those scenarios rest on the receiver returning to form sooner than later, and whether he can do that remains a mystery.

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