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With the Chicago Bears, things have gone from bad to worse for former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool. They may have hit rock bottom during Week 4.
Claypool was a healthy scratch against the Denver Broncos on October 1. After blowing a 21-point lead in a 31-28 loss, mixed reports emerged for the Bears about whether or not he was asked to stay home.
Just before the game, NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported the Bears have made Claypool available in a trade.
“Sources: The Bears are looking to trade WR Chase Claypool, asking for a 5th-or-6th pick in return,” Schultz wrote in a Twitter post.
Schultz’s report came exactly 11 months after the Bears traded a second-round pick for Claypool.
Bears Trying to Trade WR Chase Claypool?
Claypool struggled during the second half of the 2022 season with the Bears, catching only 14 passes for 140 yards in seven games. But the Bears continued to publicly support Claypool during the offseason.
The 25-year-old being critical of the Bears coaching staff to the media this past week, though, seemed to be the final straw with the team.
On September 29, Claypool simply said “no” to a question about whether Chicago was “using him in the best way.”
WR Chase Claypool on if the #Bears are using him in the best way.
“No.”
Claypool did try to elaborate on what he meant.
“Sometimes the things around you either elevate you or you have to adapt to allow you to elevate with them,” he said. “So I’ve just been adapting to the new system and my new role in the system and trying to make the most out of it.”
In the first three games of this season, Claypool had 4 receptions for 51 yards on 14 targets. He scored a touchdown in Week 2 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
If the Schultz report is correct, the Bears are now so frustrated with Claypool that they are willing to take pennies on the dollar of their investment just to get rid of him.
Claypool began his career as a second-round pick for the Steelers in 2020. During his rookie season, he had 62 receptions for 873 yards and 9 touchdowns. He also had 2 rushing scores.
During a game against the Philadelphia Eagles that season, Claypool became the first rookie in Steelers history to score 4 touchdowns. He was also the first Steelers player with 4 touchdowns in a single game since Roy Jefferson in 1968.
Claypool had a strong 2021 season as well with 59 catches, 860 yards, but he only scored twice. Then his production plummeted without Ben Roethlisberger in 2022.
Over the past 18 games, Claypool has 50 receptions for 502 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Claypool Stayed Home While Inactive in Week 4
Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said in his postgame press conference on October 1 that Claypool was given the option to be with the team during the matchup against the Broncos in Week 4 but chose to stay home.
However, ESPN’s Courtney Cronin reported that a Bears spokesperson told her the team told Claypool not to attend the game.
The 25-year-old was inactive on two occasions for Chicago last season, but both were for injury reasons. Week 4 was the first time Claypool was a healthy scratch in his career.
The Bears are 0-13 since they acquired Claypool at the trade deadline last year. Since that trade, the Steelers are 9-4.
The second-round selection acquired from Chicago in the Claypool deal became the No. 32 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft. With that choose, the Steelers selected cornerback Joey Porter Jr.
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Former Steelers WR Chase Claypool in Hot Water With Bears