Chicago Bears should bench Chase Claypool week two vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Chicago Bears got almost nothing out of Chase Claypool in his NFL debut. He did not produce in the boxscore, and worse than that, he was costing the team by struggling to block in the run-and-screen game. Claypool has been a major disappointment since the team traded for him, and now there are questions of whether it is time to pull the plug or at least hit reset.
Chicago Bears should bench Chase Claypool week two vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers
If the Chicago Bears do bench Chase Claypool, they would turn to Equanimeous St. Brown. It makes sense, and despite Claypool being a more productive receiver with more upside and potential, the team should roll with St. Brown.
Matt Eberflus on if Equanimeous St. Brown will replace Chase Claypool on gameday roster: "We’re looking at all possibilities right now. I’m not going to talk about who’s going to be up or down for the game for obvious reasons. We’re looking at all things to make our team better."
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) September 13, 2023
Matt Eberflus preaches culture and the HITS principle, which is hustling, and technique, and playing intensity and smarts. Essentially, Claypool has more talent, but when it comes to HITS, St. Brown laps Claypool.
Claypool missed the entire offseason due to minor injuries and then showed serious rust in the week one opener. The issue coming into the year was lack of time in the offense, and he got no time in the offense this offseason, so it makes sense that he is still struggling.
Still, it is more than that, as Claypool looks unengaged in some of the plays. On the flip side, Equanimeous St. Brown has not missed any time. He was the starter last year, played before Claypool, and when Claypool got hurt, he stepped right back in.
St. Brown also stays engaged. He is the best blocker on the team and goes all out on special teams. His upside and potential are not close to the same, but he hustles, he plays with technique, he plays smart, and he is certainly intense.
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So, if Matt Eberflus says that he will take the player who hustles over the big talent, he has to start St. Brown over Claypool. Otherwise, players who hustle and work hard will look around and think that they can act like Claypool and will not hurt their playing time. That is not a precedent you want to set, especially when this is the main thing you preach as your culture. The Chicago Bears have to bench Chase Claypool on Sunday.