Chicago Bears fans deserve to know…what was the point?
The Chicago Bears continue to find ways to lose close football games. If the team is trying to tank, then they are doing a great job at it. Well, that was until Justin Fields was hurt on the final drive of the game. The team has been playing well, and still even put up 24 points vs the Falcons, but if you can’t win, there is no point. Speaking of points, what was the point of trading for Chase Claypool?
Fans want the team to be drafting as early as possible in 2023. From a macro level, that is important. From a micro level, this team needs to find a way to learn to win. I thought that Ryan Poles was making the right decision. It still makes sense, to be honest. What doesn’t make sense though is what the team has done with him after he was added to their roster.
This goes beyond just his snap share. It’s his usage also. When in Pittsburgh, Chase Claypool was seeing between 85% and 93% of the team’s offensive snaps for the most part. He only saw 80% in his final game with the Steelers, but since joining the Chicago Bears, Claypool has seen 35% or less of the offensive snaps. The team has also not been using him to the best of his abilities. Through three games, Claypool only has 32 yards receiving on five catches.
What is the point of the Chicago Bears trading for Chase Claypool?
If Chase Claypool was part of the 2023 free agency class, he’d be one of the most sought-after receivers in free agency. Only JuJu Smith-Schuster would give him a run for the money. Knowing that the 2023 NFL free agency class was not great, making a move for a guy like Claypool now makes sense — even for a second-round pick. The problem is, how are you going to kickstart the chemistry between him and Justin Fields if they don’t play Chase Claypool enough?
When Chase Claypool is at his best, he’s running routes on the outside. He’s running go-routes, slants, stop-and-gos, comebacks, etc. Basically, anything on the outside five yards deep or deeper. We have not seen enough of the deeper routes. The best usage may have been the play vs the Dolphins when he was hit early but they didn’t throw a flag. To help Chase Claypool and Justin Fields build that all-important chemistry, we need to see more of those routes.
Chicago Bears fans deserve to know, what was the point of trading for Chase Claypool if he isn’t going to be used properly? Is he truly unable to handle more of the playbook by now? Can they not have a set group of plays that allows Claypool more playing time without needing to know the full playbook? Couldn’t they give him more impactful routes than the short stop-routes? Whatever is going on, now Fields may be hurt and the chance to develop true chemistry this year could be gone. Not to mention, Pittsburgh is getting what could be a nearly first-round pick.