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The Chicago Bears have been eager to see what an unrestricted Chase Claypool can do for them once he is fully acclimated to their offense, but head coach Matt Eberflus doesn’t think they are quite there with him just yet.
While speaking with the media on Monday, December 12, Eberflus was asked whether the Bears are “through the adjustment period” with Claypool now that he has spent about six weeks with the team, learning their playbook and offensive system. At this point, though, Eberflus “wouldn’t say he’s there yet” even though he and the Bears have been pleased with his progress since he arrived in early November.
“Yeah, I think he’s getting to that point, I really do,” Eberflus said Monday. “He needs to … get all the things down, the route depths and the routes, the discipline of running the routes. He’s in a good spot. We’re looking forward to him getting better each and every week.
“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 he’s got a lot of volume on offense that he needs to learn, and he’s getting there.”
Bears Remain Confident in Claypool’s Trajectory
The Bears traded away their 2023 second-round pick — currently projected to be the No. 34 overall pick in next year’s draft — to acquire Claypool at the trade deadline back on November 1. While his reps have increased gradually over his five games in Chicago, his production has been relatively small with just 12 receptions for 111 yards and zero touchdowns on his 22 targets as he has delved deeper into their system’s route tree.
“Coming from where he came from, there’s still routes he’s never run before,” Bears wide receivers coach Tyke Tolbert said on December 4, via Mark Potash of the Chicago Sun-Times. “But he’s a very smart guy, and he’s taking coaching — in-between periods when the defense is out there doing some stuff.
“Is he where we want him to be? No. But no one is. No one’s ever where you want them to be. But I like coaching him. He’s a coachable guy. He’s a smart guy. He’s got size and hands. He’s got speed. He can do a lot of things. I think it’s just to continue to build off what he’s done so far, and hopefully it’ll turn into some production.”
The Bears would be thrilled if Claypool could break off a few highlight-worthy plays down the final stretch of the 2022 season, but the more important things for him are developing strong chemistry with quarterback Justin Fields and establishing a mastery of the Bears’ offensive system as a receiver. If he can accomplish both of those things in the remaining four games — even if he doesn’t pop off the stat sheets — it could help accelerate his growth into a true playmaker for the Bears heading into 2023.
Will Bears Shake Up WR Room for End Stretch?
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GettyVelus Jones Jr. was not targeted in the Bears’ loss to the Packers prior to the bye week.
The Bears have reached the inevitable part of a heavy-rebuild season in which they are eliminated from playoff contention and now must decide how much focus they want to shift on developing pieces for future seasons. In some cases, teams in their situation might start cutting reps from veterans who they don’t plan to bring back next season in order to give more attention to some of their younger players with deeper ties.
The Bears, however, have to think carefully about what they want to do when it comes to changing their offense around their franchise quarterback.
The Bears are caught in a difficult spot of wanting to know what young guys can bring to their offense but also not wanting to find out at the expense of Fields’ development. For example, N’Keal Harry and Velus Jones Jr. would probably grow faster as receivers if they were to take the spots of Equanimeous St. Brown and Dante Pettis in the rotation, but it could have a negative effect on Fields if they step in and make more mistakes than the two veterans, costing the Bears drives and their momentum.
Above all else, the priority needs to be finding the best personnel group to help Fields thrive each and every week until the season is over. Maybe that could include Harry or Jones if they prove deserving of more opportunities, but don’t expect them to suddenly bench Pettis or St. Brown just because they have a less likely chance of returning in 2023.
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