As the Chicago Bears slowly wrap up the 2023 offseason we will be focusing on what is to come in the 2023 regular season. There will always be questions and things worth discussing as the year goes on.
What are things that will be happening that will have Chicago Bears attention?
5. Do Chicago Bears stick with Chase Claypool, Darnell Mooney, or neither?
One of the biggest questions that the Chicago Bears will face is their wide receivers. They went and spent big on D.J. Moore, who was already signed for the next three seasons when they added him. So, they have one wideout they are giving money to. They may two, but it is hard to see them paying three.
Beyond that, they added Tyler Scott in the 2023 NFL draft. Scott will likely be the fourth man for his rookie season, but they have to be hoping that one of Mooney and Claypool will be replaced by Scott in 2024.
The easy thought is Darnell Mooney. They look much more alike in size and speed, and they are also moving Scott into the slot more, which is the first thing Luke Getsys did with Mooney last season. So, Scott will learn the slot, Mooney will move on, and then they will decide on Claypool.
While they did not replace Claypool in this draft, that does not mean that he is more likely to get extended. The big issue with Claypool is that based on what they committed to acquire him, he has the leverage to ask for a big deal. However, his play on the field says otherwise. They could meet in the middle, however, if Claypool plays poorly this season, they will have no issues cutting ties and drafting someone.
If Claypool excels, it still will be hard to sign him. He will be staring at free agency and we know that free agency is where guys like Claypool go to get overpaid. Are the Chicago Bears best hoping a big Claypool salary helps their compensatory formula more than they are hoping to pay him big money?
Maybe the only way Claypool comes back is if he realizes that he is a depth role player, and he takes a one or two-year deal at a modest salary.
Wouldn't the best decision moving forward be to have Moore on a big deal, then Scott and a rookie on smaller deals for the next three seasons? The development of Scott and the play of Claypool will tell us a lot.