3 reasons to be skeptical of Chicago Bears trade for Chase Claypool

2. Chase Claypool has Declining production

With the Chicago Bears trading for Chase Claypool, fans have to wonder whether the offense around him fell off, or whether he has been figured out a bit. Claypool came out of the gates firing and had a great rookie season. However, while his yardage was similar in 2021, he went from nine touchdowns to three. That is a pretty stark drop-off.

Now, this season he is averaging just 38 yards per game. That is down nearly 20 yards per game from his typical average. It is fair that the team went from Ben Roethlisberger to a rookie, and even Roethlisberger was obviously on his last legs.

Still, you have to be worried about the slow decline. Claypool had a hot start and has been up and down since.

Beyond that, the Pittsburgh Steelers moved him into the slot this season because they did not like his ability to beat the press on the outside. They thought that giving him the extra cushion would help, but Claypool lacks the feel to sit in zones and do prototypical slot receivers duties.

His route tree has not expanded, and there have been instances where he shows a lack of football knowledge, such as spinning the football in a two-minute drill. Claypool has plenty of physical talent, and his best skill set probably jives with Justin Fields more than what the Steelers had been going through on offense.

Still, he is not quite a number one, trusted wideout, and the Chicago Bears may have two solid number twos when it comes to Claypool and Darnell Mooney.