Why this Chicago Bears injury status is alarming
The Chicago Bears are coming out of the bye week, so most assumptions are that the injury report is improving. However, one key player is trending down right now, which has to be concerning for fans. Chase Claypool has missed the last two days of practice with a knee injury.
Beat reporters have mentioned a knee brace, and if he does not practice in full on Friday, it has to be highly doubtful that he will play. In most cases this late into the season, the vibe would be to let Claypool rest, and get him into the mindset of being healthy next season.
However, in the case of Claypool, the Chicago Bears really wanted to see what they had in him over this span. Claypool has been slower than expected to get mixed into the offense, but just had his most participation against the Packers.
The initial thought was that the team would build on this, and we would see Claypool at his best for the final four games. These games could help Justin Fields establish momentum with the wide receiver on the field that could carry over to the next season.
Beyond that, the team has a serious decision to make with the contract of Claypool. He will enter 2023 on the last year of his deal. Considering Chicago traded a top 35 pick for Claypool, they will be incentivized to keep him around. Still, how can they say they learned anything so far?
Trading for him during the season at an added cost was supposed to be worth it because of the chemistry built in these games. If not, they could have traded for Claypool at a cheaper price this offseason.
So, the team will not be rushing Chase Claypool onto the field, and the way that they handle injuries this year makes you think that he is going to miss a game against the Eagles, if not more.
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Still, this is becoming a huge disappointment. All of the reasons that the team traded for Claypool early are seeing none of the benefits, and the price they paid for him keeps getting higher. It is not the fault of Claypool for being injured now, but it sure does put a dent into the plans the team once had.