Chicago Bears wide receiver Chase Claypool is facing a ton of heat and criticism, and rightfully so.
Numerous clips have gone viral on the internet showing him giving very little effort during the Bears disastrous loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.
His lack of effort and overall struggles, particularly in perimeter blocking, have raised questions about his place in the lineup and future with the team.
During Sunday’s game, Claypool was targeted twice by quarterback Justin Fields, but both passes resulted in incompletions. However, it was his effort in blocking on the perimeter that garnered the most criticism…
Zero effort shown by Chase Claypool. What happened to him? pic.twitter.com/b8thKums2s
— OddsStack (@OddsStack) September 13, 2023
Bears head coach Matt Eberflus addressed the issue, stating: “You all saw the plays that, and again, the perimeter blocking needed to improve for all of us. And we’re gonna get that, work hard to get that done.”
Claypool had been practicing without limitations in the two weeks leading up to the Packers game after recovering from a hamstring injury sustained in early August.
Eberflus clarified that Claypool’s struggles were not due to injury, asserting that he had “displayed good technique in practice” on his blocking, which is why the coaching staff entrusted him with that role against Green Bay.
This Chase Claypool compilation is insane.
It will be interesting to see how Eberflus handles a player who loafed the entire game.
— Max Markham (@MaxMarkhamNFL) September 11, 2023
In contrast, another Chicago wide receiver known for his blocking abilities, Equanimeous St. Brown, was inactive for Week 1 as a healthy scratch.
Fields praised St. Brown’s contributions, saying: “He’s a great run-blocker for us. He always has been since last year, and he knows the playbook like the back of his hand. He’s really smart. I think he’s a leader in the receiver room. So just that part. Perimeter blocking, he’s really good at that.”
When questioned about the possibility of Claypool being inactive for the upcoming game against the Buccaneers, Eberflus remained non-committal.
“We’re looking at all possibilities right now,” he said. “I’m not going to talk about who’s going to be up or down for the game right now, for obvious reasons. We’re looking at all things to make our team better – who’s going to be up and who’s going to be down in terms of the active roster.”
Thoughts on the Chicago Bears…. pic.twitter.com/5epfG7l5kK
— Kyle Brandt (@KyleBrandt) September 11, 2023
The stakes are high for both the Bears and Chase Claypool to find a solution to his sudden drop-off on the field.
It’s a very strange situation since Claypool was well-known for his effort back in college when he played for Notre Dame.
What do you make of the situation?
What needs to be done with Claypool?